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One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 


ANNIVERSARY 


V  K  I  M  I  T  I  V  E     ORCANIZ  A  T  I  O  N 


Congregational  Church  and  Society, 


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the  MAY  24  1918 

CELEBRATION 


One  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 


ANNIVERSARY 


PRIMITIVE     ORGANIZATION 


Congregational  Church  and  Society, 


FRANKLIN,  CONNECTICUT, 


OCTOBER  14th,   1868. 


Tuttle,  Morehouse  &  Taylor,  Printers, 

new  haven. 

i86q. 


Note. — The  accompanying  map  gives  the  location  of  the  first  settlers  of 
Franklin.  It  covers  a  period  extending  from  1663,  when  the  lands  of  West 
Farms  were  partly  apportioned  among  the  Original  Proprietors  of  Norwich, 
to  1725,  by  which  time  the  population  had  become  tolerably  numerous.  In  the 
Historical  Address  and  in  its  appended  notes,  the  reader  will  find  the  time 
and  order  of  arrival  of  these  settlers.  The  present  inhabitants  will  also  per- 
ceive by  a  glance  at  the  map  who  were  the  first  owners  of  the  farms  which 
they  now  occupy,  and,  if  they  are  curious  to  follow  up  the  clue  thus  furnished, 
they  can,  by  consultation  of  the  records,  trace  the  succession  of  owners  down 
to  themselves.  The  various  names  of  places  then  in  vogue  are  also  given. 
Some  of  these  are  still  retained,  while  others  have  been  long  in  disuse. 

The  preparation  of  this  map  has  involved  a  vast  amount  of  labor.  It  is  the 
result  of  investigations  extending  over  a  series  of  years,  and  to  which  the 
writer  was  led  in  connection  with  other  historical  studies.  In  its  preparation 
the  early  deeds  of  the  town  of  Norwich  have  been  minutely  explored,  as  well 
as  a  great  number  of  private  papers  and  deeds  in  the  possession  of  different 
families.  TI19  series  of  papers  on  file  in  the  State  Library  have  also  afforded 
valuable  assistance.  Not  a  little  information  has  also  been  obtained  from  the 
examination  of  the  ordinary  records  of  the  same  date,  which,  in  their  records 
of  votes  respecting  particular  sections  of  the  town,  of  allotments  to  different 
individuals,  of  the  location  of  roads,  of  the  running  of  district  lines,  &c,  &c., 
h'ave  incidentally  furnished  decisive  evidence.  By  the  collation  of  these  dif- 
ferent authorities  facts  have  been  elicited  which  could  not  have  been  obtained 
from  an)r  single  source.  No  location  has  been  given  which  is  not  sup- 
ported either  by  the  direct  evidence  of  the  deeds  or  by  strong  collateral 
evidence. 

The  map  may  claim,  therefore,  to  present  a  truthful  representation  of  the 
town  during  the  first  half  century  of  its  history,  and  the  writer  ventures  to 
hope  that  this  study  of  a  former  generation  will  afford  to  the  present  one  a 
pleasure  equal  to  that  which  it  has  given  to  himself.  A.  W. 


CONT  E  NTS  . 


Preliminary  Meetings,  5 

Opening  Hymn,  by  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins,              -  7 

Address  of  Welcome,  by  Ashbel  Woodward,  M.D.,                  -  9 

Historical  Address,  by  Ashbel  Woodward,  M.D.,               -  1 1 

Notes  to  Historical  Address — 

Note  A. — Indian  Deed  of  Norwich,        -              -  45 

Note  B. — Indian  Names,  46 

Note  C. — List  of  original  Proprietors  of  Norwich,  48 
Note  D. — Brief    Notices    of    the    principal     original 

Settlers  of  West  Farms,  now  Franklin,  49 

Note  E. — College  Graduates,     -  64 
Note  F. — List  of  Clergymen  raised  up  in   Franklin, 

with   brief    sketches   of    some    that    have 

deceased,        -  65 

Note  G. — Physicians  of  West  Farms,  now  Franklin,  77 
Note  H. — Sketches    of  individuals    not    included    in 

clerical  and  medical  professions,   -              -  83 

Note  I. — List  of  Missionaries,    -  88 

Note  J. — Portipaug  Society,  89 

Historical  Sermon,  by  Rev.  Franklin  C.  Jones,     -              -  93 

Notes  to    Historical  Sermon — 

First  Creed  of  the  Church,          -              -              -  108 

Deacons  of  the  Church,        -              -              -              -  112 

Intermission  and  Collation,            -              -              -              -  113 

Letter  from  Hon.  L.  F.  S.  Foster,      -              -              -              -  115 

Letter  from  Bela  Edgerton,         -              -              -             -  115 

Letter  from  Rev.  C.  H.  Chester,        -              -              -              -  116 

Poem,  by  Anson  G.  Chester,        -              -              -              -  119 

Speech,  by  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Shipman,               -              -  129 

Speech,  by  Rev.  Hiram  P.  Arms,  D.D.,                  -             -  130 


Speech,  by  Rev.  Anson  Gleason,         -              -  -        130 

Speech,  by  Rev.  David  Metcalf,                 -  -              130 

Speech,  by  Rev.  W.  H.  Moore,            -  130 

Speech,  by  Rev.  Jared  R.  Avery,                 -  130 

Speech,  by  Rev.  Joseph  W.   Backus,                  -  -                      131 

Speech,  by  Rev.  George  J.  Harrison,         -             -  131 

Speech,  by  Mr.  Thomas  D.  Stetson,                 -  -        132 

Speech,  by  Rev.  Jesse  Fillmore,     -              -              -  -              132 

Appendix — 

Letter  from  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins,    -  -             -         135 

Letter  from  Anson  G.  Chester,               -  -                135 

Letter  from  Hon.  Asahel  Huntington,  136 

Letter  from  Hon.  Wm.  A.  Buckingham,  -                 137 

Letter  from  Rev.  A.   T.  Chester,  D.D.,  -              -         137 

Letter  from  Rev.  Isaac  Clark,                -  -                138 

Poem  from  Miss  Hyde,        -              -  -                        140 

Index  of  Names,              -  141 


ADDITIONS  AND  CORRECTIONS. 

On  page  23,  the  16th  line  from  the  top,  for  1610  read  1710. 

On  page  37,  the     5th  line  from  the  top,  for  1608  read  1708. 

On  page  43,  the     7th  line  from  the  top,  for  Edward  read  Ezra. 

On  page  51,  the  16th  line  from  the  top,  for  Get-once  read  Yet-once. 

On  page  56,  the  19th  line  from  the  top,  for  she  read  he. 

On  page  78,  the  last  line,  add  the  character  £  so  as  to  read  £3. 


Preliminary  Meetings. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Congregational  church  of  Franklin, 
Conn.,  August  30th,  1867,  it  was  voted  to  celebrate  the 
approaching  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  its 
organization  with  appropriate  exercises,  and  the  follow- 
ing committee  were  appointed  to  make  the  necessary 
arrangements: — Ashbel  Woodward,  M.  D.,  Chairman; 
Joseph  I.  Hyde,  Clerk;  P.  O.  Smith,  H.  W.  Kingsley  and 
Dan  Hastings.  The  Ecclesiastical  Society  voted  unani- 
mously, September  30th,  1867,  to  commemorate  its  own 
organization  in  conjunction  with  the  celebration  of  the 
one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  church. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  committee  of  arrange- 
ments, Rev.  Franklin  C.  Jones  was  invited  to  deliver  the 
Historical  Sermon,  and  Ashbel  Woodward,  M.  D.,  the  His- 
torical Address.  It  was  also  voted  to  hold  the  anniversary 
celebration  on  Wednesday,  October  7th,  1868.* 

September  13th,  1868,  the  committee  of  arrangements 
appointed  the  following  special  committees  : 

On  Collation.— Herman  H.  Willes,  Amos  F.  Royce, 
Wm.  M.  Converse,  Charles  A.  Kingsley,  James  C.  Wood- 
ward, Ezra  L.  Smith  and  E.  Eugene  Ayer. 


*  It  subsequently  became  known  that  the  American  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners for  Foreign  Missions  were  to  hold  their  annual  meeting  at  Norwich 
city  during  the  first  week  of  October,  1868,  and  it  was,  therefore,  deemed 
advisable  to  defer  the  anniversary  exercises  till  the  second  Wednesday  of 
October.  Fortunately  the  organization  of  the  church  took  place  on  the  second 
Wednesday  of  October,  1718,  and  we  were  thereby  enabled  in  a  certain  sense 
to  celebrate  upon  the  anniversary  of  the  date  of  its  organization,  although 
there  was  an  actual  discrepancy  of  one  week  ;  the  celebration  occurring 
October  i4,vwhile  the  organization  took  place  October  8th. 


On  Finance. —  William  B.  Hyde,  John  O.  Smith,  Bela 
T.  Hastings,  Amos  F.  Royce  and  Lavius  A.  Robinson. 

On  Reception. — Henry  W.  Kingsley,  Oliver  L.  Johnson, 
Lovell  K.  Smith,  Samuel  G.  Hartshorn,  Owen  S.  Smith, 
Ezra  L.  Smith,  Dan  Hastings  and  Charles  A.  Kingsley. 

On  Music. — Hezekiah  Huntington,  Prentice  O.  Smith 
and  Rev.  F.  C.  Jones, 


Anniversary  Exercises. 


The  morning'  of  October  14th,  1868,  opened  with  threat- 
ening- clouds  and  damp,  cutting  winds.  But,  notwithstand- 
ing the  inauspicious  weather,  the  church  was  crowded  at 
an  early  hour  with  the  returning  sons  and  daughters  of 
Franklin,  some  of  whom  had  journeyed  from  beyond  the 
Mississippi  to  join  in  the  festivities  of  the  day,  while  others 
had  come  back  gray-haired  men  to  once  more  grasp  hands 
with  the  playmates  with  whom  they  had  parted  half  a 
century  before. 

At  half-past  ten  o'clock,  the  Hon.  Ephraim  H.  Hyde, 
of  Stafford,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Connecticut,  was 
introduced  as  president  of  the  day,  by  the  pastor,  and  the 
exercises  of  the  occasion  were  opened  with  an  invocation 
by  Rev.  E.  W.  Gilman. 

The  following  hymn,  written  by  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins, 
of  New  London,  was  then  sung  by  the  Choir. 

OPENING  HYMN 

For  the  Celebration  of  the  1 50M  Anniversary  of  the  first  Organization 
of  Religious    Worship  in  Franklin,  Conn. 

BY  MISS  F.  M.   CAULKINS. 

Church  of  our  fathers,  hail  ! 

Long  on  this  sacred  height, 
Thy  shining  courts  o'er  hill  and  dale 

Have  shed  celestial  light. 

A  few  worn  pilgrims  here 

Their  altar  reared  to  God : 
Here  first  the  Burning-bush  they  saw, 

Here  bloomed  the  Almond  rod. 


The  watchmen  of  the  land, 

Like  stars  before  us  rise  : — 
For  seventy  years  one  faithful  hand 

Was  pointed  to  the  skies. 

And  still  thy  garments  shine, 

With  plenteous  grace  bedewed  *• 
Rich  are  the  clusters  of  thy  vine, 

Thy  sons  a  multitude. 

For  blessings  so  supreme, 

Our  grateful  songs  we  raise; 
Lift  high,  sound  deep  the  joyful  theme, 

Awake,  O  voice  of  Praise  ! 

Now,  Lord,  in  triumph  come  ! 

Here  shed  thy  spirit  free, 
That  each  may  bear  a  blessing  home 

From  this,  our  jubilee. 

After  the  singing  of  the  opening  hymn,  the  chairman 
of  the  committee  of  arrangements,  Ashbel  Woodward, 
M.  D.,  delivered  the  following 


Address  of  Welcome. 


Sons  and  Daughters  of  Franklin  : — 

In  behalf  of  the  committee  of  arrangements  for  cele- 
brating this  anniversary  occasion,  I  greet  you  with  a 
cordial  welcome.  It  affords  me  no  ordinary  gratification 
to  welcome  you  to  a  full  participation  in  all  the  pleasant 
memories  and  amenities  which  this  hallowed  re-union  is 
suited  to  call  forth.  I  welcome  you  to  the  hospitalities 
of  our  homes,  which  were  once  the  homes  of  your  fathers 
and  your  fathers'  fathers.  And  to  all  who  have  upon  this 
auspicious  morning  favored  us  by  your  presence,  I  would 
extend  the  warmest  welcome  of  our  hearts. 

It  is  profitable  to  turn  aside  occasionally  from  the  stir- 
ring scenes  of  the  hour  to  contemplate  the  virtues  of  those 
who  have  lived  before  us.  No  people  can  become  per- 
manently great  and  prosperous  unless  they  revere  the 
memory  of  a  virtuous  ancestry.  This  feeling  underlies 
the  sentiment  of  patriotism  and  inspires  the  self-devotion 
of  the  hero.  If  the  Roman  of  the  empire  was  not  ashamed 
to  acknowledge  his  descent  from  the  robber  band  who 
founded  the  eternal  city  ;  if  the  Briton  proudly  traces  his 
lineage  to  the  Danish  and  Saxon  pirates  of  the  mediaeval 
period,  surely  we  may  well  rejoice  that  our  blood  is  de- 
rived from  a  religious,  heroic,  God-fearing  ancestry. 
Amid  perils  and  privations  they  sowed  the  precious  seed, 
upborne  by  a  lofty  faith  even  in  the  darkest  hours  of  trial 
and  adversity.      Reflecting  upon  the  piety,  and  courage, 


IO 

and  resolution  of  our  fathers  who  laid  the  foundations 
here,  we  shall  not  only  appreciate  more  fully  the  greatness 
of  their  work,  but  be  the  better  fitted  to  carry  it  onward 
toward  final  fulfillment. 

Our  town,  secluded  and  sparsely  settled  by  an  agricul- 
tural people,  has  borne  an  unconspicuous  part  in  history. 
Yet  she  has  given  to  the  country  not  a  few  who  have 
risen  to  high  positions  of  honor  and  usefulness.  Trained 
in  the  virtues  of  the  puritans,  her  sons  and  their  descend- 
ants have  ennobled  this,  their  birth-place. 

But  not  to  detain  you  with  further  words,  allow  me  to 
extend  to  you,  one  and  all,  the  earnest  and  sincere  wel- 
come of  our  hearts. 

The  address  of  welcome  was  succeeded  by  reading  of 
the  scriptures,  Isaiah  xxxv,  and  prayer  by  Rev.  H.  P. 
Arms,  D.  D. 

After  further  singing  by  the  choir,  came  the  Historical 
Address. 


Historical  Address, 


BY 


Ashbel   Woodward,    M.   D. 


Introductory  Note. 


The  author  of  the  following  address  is  unwilling  to  permit  this 
memorial  volume  to  go  to  press  without  acknowledging  that  its  tardy 
appearance  is  due  almost  entirely  to  himself.  Actively  devoted  to  a 
profession  which  precludes  all  system  in  the  improvement  of  moments 
devoted  to  non-professional  research,  he  has  only  been  enabled  to  seize 
upon  detached  fragments  of  time  to  accomplish  the  little  that  was  originally 
contemplated. 

In  preparing  the  accompanying  notes,  almost  constant  recourse  has 
been  had  to  the  local  records,  which  fortunately  are  full  and  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation.  All  the  early  papers  now  on  file  in  the  public 
offices  at  the  State  Capitol,  relating  to  our  history  in  colonial  times,  have 
been  examined  and  much  valuable  information  has  been  obtained  there- 
from. 

The  late  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins,  in  collecting  materials  for  her  invalu- 
able History  of  Norwich,  availed  herself  of  all  known  sources  of  infor- 
mation, and  left  comparatively  little  for  other  gleaners.  Frequent  refer- 
ence has  been  had  to  her  writings,  which  have  afforded  very  valuable 
aid  in  the  preparation  of  these  sketches. 

The  writer  also  feels  greatly  indebted  to  the  late  chancellor  Wal- 
worth, not  only  for  information  which  he  kindly  furnished  as  a  corres- 
pondent, but  for  many  important  statistical  facts  embodied  in  his 
Genealogy  of  the  Hyde  Family,  a  work  involving  vast  labor,  and 
including  in  its  scope  many  of  the  families  resident  in  this  place. 

He  also  feels  under  great  obligations  to  Rev.  Dr.  Sprague,  of  Albany, 
for  information  communicated  by  letter,  and  for  the  aid  afforded  by  his 
printed  volumes. 

He  would  also  acknowledge  information  furnished  by  Rev.  Jesse 
Fillmore,  of  Providence,  Rev.  E.  B.  Huntington,  of  Stamford,  Prof. 
Gilman  and  F.    B.   Dexter,   of  Yale  College,  and  others. 

He  would  also  add  that  he  feels  under  great  obligations  to  Hon.  J. 
H.  Trumbull,  President  of  the  Conn.  Historical  Society,  for  assistance 
upon  the  obscure  subject  of  Indian  names. 

The  mechanical  execution  of  the  accompanying  map  was  entrusted  to 
Mr.  Andrew  B.  Smith,  Post  Master  at  Franklin. 

Franklin,  April  14th,  1869. 


Historical  Address. 


The  Society  whose  anniversary  we  celebrate  to-day, 
embraces  territory  purchased  of  the  Indians  in  the  month 
of  June,  1659.  Originally  this  region  lay  within  the 
domain  of  the  Narragansett,  but  he,  at  some  unknown 
period,  was  driven  back  by  the  irruption  of  a  fierce  tribe 
from  the  north,  who  swept  down  with  an  impetuosity 
which  even  his  might  could  not  withstand.  These  new 
comers,  settling  upon  the  banks  of  the  stream  afterwards 
called  by  their  name,  the  Pequot  or  Thames,  issued  forth 
from  thence  conquering  and  to  conquer,  a  living  terror 
far  and  near,  until  overwhelmed  in  the  memorable  de 
struction  of  1637.  The  Mohegans,  an  uneasy  clan  of  the 
Pequots  and  a  traitorous  aid  in  their  overthrow,  rose 
Phoenix-like  from  the  ruins  of  their  race,  and  had  become 
in  1659  a  powerful  tribe  dwelling  about  the  headwaters 
of  the  Thames  and  extending  thence  into  the  interior. 
Their  territory  was  the  fairest  in  New  England.  Nature 
here  lavished  in  stream  and  vale  the  means  of  easy  sub- 
sistence, while  in  scenes  of  rugged  grandeur  ceaselessly 
blending  with  others  of  quiet  repose,  she  spoke  in  such 
tones  of  captivating  eloquence  to  her  first  children  as  she 
does  to-day  to  those  who  have  ears  to  listen.  But  nowhere 
in  this  broad  domain  was  her  hand  more  generous  or  her 
smile  more  winsome  than  over  the  region  which  greets  the 
eye  from  the  spot  whereon  we  stand.  Here  pure  streams, 
flowing  with  increased  volume  beneath  the  shade  of  the 


14 


primeval   forest,    sparkled   through   valleys   from    whose 
genial  soil  the  three  sister  spirits,  guardians  of  the   red 
man's  board,  the  spirit  of  Corn,   of  the  Bean  and  of  the 
Vine,  drew  the  kindliest  support.      Over  the  hills  above, 
ranged  the  deer,  bear,  wolf  and  fox,  while  the  encircling 
streams   furnished   still    choicer   food  in  their   abundant 
supplies  of  salmon,  shad  and  trout.     Here,  then,  was  joy 
to  the  full  for  the  red  man,  and  the  abundant  remains  of 
his  art  join  with  tradition  in  pronouncing  this  his  favorite 
abode.      In  these  valleys,  long  before  they  felt  the  white 
man's  tread,  the  summer  wind  rustled  through  the  com- 
plaining  corn,  the  woods   re-echoed   to   the   huntsman's 
joyous  shout,  or  anon  the  war-whoop   rung  out  from  hill 
to  hill,  and  the  streams  ran  red  with  blood.    Again,  where, 
perhaps,    this   very   church    rears   heavenward  its  spire, 
weird  companies  have  circled  round  the  council  fire  in 
celebration  of  their  mystic  rites,  or  in  the  golden  harvest 
time,  led  by  the  gratitude  which  yearly  draws  us  hither, 
have  gathered  from  far  and  near  to  return  thanks  to  the 
Great  Spirit  for  bounteous  seasons,   and  to  bespeak  his 
continued  kindness.     But  this  aboriginal  form  of  society, 
with  its  bright  alike  with  its  dark  side,  be  it  spoken,  van- 
ished so  quickly  away  that  only  the  faintest  glimpses  of  it 
are  preserved  for  us,  and  we  hasten  on  into  more  certain 

periods. 

Doubtless  the  people  of  Saybrook  were  familiar  with 
the  charms  and  advantages  of  this  region  long  before  a 
colony  was  actually  led  hither.  Major  John  Mason,  the 
leading  spirit  in  that  settlement,  had  had  abundant  oppor- 
tunity in  his  frequent  expeditions  through  the  wilderness 
and  his  long  intimacy  with  Uncas,  to  learn  the  nature  of 
the  sachem's  possessions ;  and  it  was  doubtless  the  enthu- 
siastic admiration  of  this  tireless  man  that  prevailed  upon 
his  fellow  colonists  to  abandon  their  homes,  just  beginning 


15 

to   requite  the  toil  of  years,  and  plunge  again  into   the 
heart    of  the    wilderness. 

In  May,  1659,  the  General  Assembly  authorized  the 
planting  of  a  colony  in  the  Mohegan  country  ;  and  the 
following  month  Uncas  and  his  brother  Wawequa,  for  the 
consideration  of  seventy  pounds,  ceded  a  portion  of  their 
domain  nine  miles  square,  and  including  within  its  limits 
the  present  towns  of  Norwich,  Franklin,  Bozrah,  Lisbon 
and  Sprague,  with  small  portions  of  adjoining  towns. 

Preliminary  arrangements  are  at  once  effected,  and  the 
next  spring  the  thirty-five  proprietors,  under  the  guidance 
of   Major   Mason   and    Rev.    James   Fitch,  remove  from 
Saybrook  hither,  and  establish  themselves  at  what  is  now 
known  as  Norwich  Town.      The  first  year  or  two  are 
busily  employed  in  erecting  dwellings  and  subduing  the 
wilderness  about  them.     These  done,  other  matters  press 
upon  the  attention.     Young  men  are  growing  up  in  their 
midst,    full    of   the    energy    begotten    by    struggles    with 
nature  in  a  new  land,  who  will  quickly  be  ready  to  plunge 
still  deeper  into  the  shades  of  the  forest,  there  to  hew  out 
their   own    fortunes.        New    comers,   also,    from    abroad 
must   soon    be    crowded    onward    beyond    the    existing 
bounds,  while  the  needs  of  the  present  population  suggest 
the  clearing  up  of  outlying  lands  for  pasturage  and   culti- 
vation.     The  meadows  and    uplands  of  West  Farms,  as 
this    portion    of    Norwich    was  long  known,    are    most 
accessible  and  inviting.     Accordingly,  in  Sixteen  Hundred 
and  Sixty-Three,  the  desirable  portions  are  parcelled  out 
among  the  occupants  of  the   Town  Plot,  to  be  improved 
by  them,  or,  if  they  see  fit,  passed  over  into  other  hands. 
Nor  is  it  long  before  the  smoke  curls  up  here  and  there 
from  the  center  of  a  little  clearing,  in  indication  of  actual 
occupation.     Soon  John  Ayer,  the  famous  hunter,  Indian 
fighter  and  guide,  pushes  up  the  Beaver  brook  and  pitches 


i6 

his  tent  in  the  gap  of  the  hills,  a  wild  and  solitary  place 
exactly  to  his  taste  and  perpetuating  by  its  name  the 
memory  of  his  many  daring  exploits  in  its  vicinity.  Job 
Hunnewell,  William  Moore  and  others,  follow  in  his 
footsteps,  and  settle  up  and  down  the  different  streams. 
These  first  comers,  unused  to  the  restraints  of  civilization, 
when,  in  a  few  years,  neighbors  begin  to  crowd  upon  them, 
sigh  again  for  the  freedom  of  the  forest,  and  most  of  them 
pass  on  into  the  unbroken  wilderness.  Yet  these  same 
men  were  the  actual  pioneers  in  the  settlement  of  West 
Farms,  and  carry  back  the  history  of  this  portion  of  the 
nine  miles  square  almost  to  the  days  of  the  original  settle- 
ment at  the  Town  Plot.  Nearly  coeval  with  the  arrival 
of  these  men  here,  Samuel  Hyde,  John  Birchard, 
John  Johnson  and  John  Tracy  move  out  from  the 
Town  Plot  and  settle  upon  the  lands  that  fell  to  them  in 
the  division  of  1663. 

Two  hundred  years  ago  !  Who  of  us  can  realize  the 
change,  or  depict  the  life  of  those  adventurous  men,  here 
in  the  very  heart  of  the  wilderness,  shut  in  on  every  side 
by  the  gloom  of  the  primeval  forest,  and  environed  by 
countless  perils?  From  the  surrounding  shades  savage 
beasts  are  ready  to  pounce  upon  their  herds  and 
trample  down  their  crops,  or,  at  some  unguarded  moment, 
the  war-whoop  may  ring  out  the  death  knell  of  unpro- 
tected wives  and  children.  Life  is  a  constant  struggle 
with  hardship  and  danger.  Scarcely  are  the  toilsome 
beginnings  over  and  a  slight  degree  of  comfort  attained, 
when  King  Phillip's  war  bursts  forth,  to  rage  with  unin- 
terrupted fury  for  many  months,  The  compacted  settle- 
ments are  stricken  with  deadly  fear.  Young  and  old  rush 
to  arms.  Heavy  guards  are  maintained  night  and  day. 
Yet  with  the  utmost  vigilance  a  forlorn  dread  settles  upon 
every  heart ;  dread  lest  their  stoutest  defences  avail  not 


i7 

against  the  wiles  of  the  Narragansett  chief.  What,  then, 
must  be  the  feelings,  the  sickening  despair  of  the  lonely 
family  upon  the  frontier,  cut  off  from  the  assistance  of 
neighbors  and  friends,  and  to  whom  the  appearance  of  the 
foe  is  the  precursor  of  inevitable  death  ;  death,  too,  under 
all  the  tortures  that  devilish  cunning  can  devise  ?  We, 
whose  fortunes  have  fallen  upon  peaceful  times,  but  faintly 
realize  the  horrors  of  those  early  days.  No  woman  in 
the  absence  of  her  husband  at  his  daily  toil,  could  feel 
sure  that  in  his  stead  a  mangled  corpse  would  not  come 
back  to  her  at  night.  No  father  in  parting  from  his  wife 
and  children  could  shake  off  the  dread  that  his  returning 
footsteps  might  bring  him  to  smouldering  ruins  and  the 
charred  remains  of  dear  ones.  Life  was  a  burthen,  to  be 
flung  off  with  joy  but  for  the  interests  of  others  bound  up 
in  it.  Amid  such  scenes  did  the  fathers  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  our  goodly  town,  and  many  of  our  richest  bless- 
ings are  due  to  the  heroic  spirit  that  could  endure  and 
grow  strong  by  battling  with  adversity. 

With  the  downfall  of  King  Phillip,  in  1676,  sank  the 
last  great  Indian  power  in  New  England.  Peace  is  now 
assured,  and  under  her  fostering  influences  the  West 
Farms  receive  fresh  life.  The  next  year  Joshua  Abel 
removes  from  Dedham  hither,  and  establishes  himself  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  directly  below  our  present  church. 
Benjamin  and  John  Armstrong,  Nathaniel  Rudd  and 
others  follow  rapidly,  and  the  place  soon  begins  to  wear 
the  air  of  civilization.  Before  1690,  crops  of  grain  wave 
over  many  a  field  but  lately  torn  from  the  embrace  of  the 
forest,  wood-paths  have  expanded  into  highways — one 
leading  to  Portipaug,  one  up  the  central  valley  and  over 
Middle  hill,  and  another  along  the  long  and  elevated  crest, 
then  known  as  Little  Lebanon — and  the  victories  of  civili- 
zation over  barbarism  appear  on  every  hand.    A  glance  at 


i8 

the  surrounding  country  will,  perhaps,  place  the  antiquity 
of  the  West  Farms  in  clearer  light.  While  they  already 
boast  a  thriving  and  populous  community,  rapidly  extend- 
ing their  conquests  over  nature,  other  ancient  towns  that 
hold  early  and  honorable  place  in  the  annals  of  the  State, 
have  not  yet  come  into  existence.  Windham  is  still  Nau- 
besetuck,  or,  at  most,  contains  but  a  single  log  cabin,  and 
Lebanon  is  an  unbroken  wilderness.  Even  over  the  nine 
miles  square,  save  about  the  Town  Plot,  there  are  else- 
where only  a  few  straggling  settlers.  In  this  vicinity 
Franklin  claims  an  actual  history,  antedated  only  by  the 
settlement  at  the  Town  Plot. 

Each  returning  year  brings  its  additions  to  the  popula- 
tion. Among  others,  one  after  another,  the  names  of 
Hyde,  Birchard,  Edgerton,  Smith,  Waterman,  Hunt- 
ington, Tracy,  Royce,  Gager  and  Mason  are  added 
to  the  list,  all  sons  or  connected  with  the  first  pro- 
prietors, and  so  many  links  to  bind  more  closely  together 
the  communities  of  the  Town  Plot  and  the  West  Farms, 
though,  in  fact,  they  are  already  as  one  people,  gathering 
in  the  same  church,  forming  a  single  civil  body,  and 
marching  forth  shoulder  to  shoulder  wherever  the  duties 
of  those  warlike  days  might  call.  Indeed,  until  the  final 
separation  in  1786,  though  to  a  less  degree  after  the  for- 
mation of  this  Society,  the  history  of  Franklin  is  to  be 
found  in  the  history  of  Norwich.  Her  inhabitants  consti- 
tute no  small  portion  of  the  body  jDolitic,  have  a  voice  in 
all  civil  matters,  bear  off  their  portion  of  the  offices  and 
their  full  share  of  the  heavy  burthens  consequent  upon 
early  citizenship.  If  their  history  be  merged  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  older  and  larger  town,  we  must  not  forget 
that  they  have  a  history,  nay,  occupy  an  important  place 
in  the  annals  of  the  period. 

Yet,    in   face   of  these  blending  influences,  it  will  not 


l9 

seem  strange  that  the  people  of  the  West  Farms  should 
soon  tire  of  a  straggling  existence  upon  the  outskirts  of  a 
distant  society,  and  long  for  greater  independence.  After 
several  years  of  fruitless  effort,  their  wishes  are  at  length 
gratified  by  permission,  in  1716,  to  organize  a  separate 
Ecclesiastical  Society.  But,  before  passing  to  the  new 
organization,  shall  we  hastily  glance  at  this  locality  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  ago?  It  is  jocularly  called  the  "  Place  of 
the  Seven  Hills,"  and  though  most  of  their  different  names 
have  long  been  in  disuse,  the  hills  still  tower  up  in  silent 
witness  of  the  peculiar  fitness  of  the  term.  On  the  east 
stands  Portipaug  hill,  flanked  on  one  side  by  Pleasure  hill 
and  on  the  other  by  Hearthstone  hill,  so  called  from  its 
excellent  hearthstones ;  from  the  center  rises  Center  or 
Middle  (now  Great)  hill,  noted  for  its  Dragon's  Hole* 
and  the  picturesqueness  of  the  surrounding  scenery  ;  west 


*  We  subjoin  the  following  description  of  this  natural  curiosity  from  a  manu- 
script account  by  Rev.  Dr.  Nott.  "August  5,  1800,  I  went,  in  company  with 
Rev.  John  Ellis  and  four  students,  to  view  the  Dragon's  Hole.  The  ascent  of 
the  mountain  from  the  east  is  laborious  for  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  The  mouth 
of  the  cavern  is  between  two  ledges  of  rocks,  that  on  the  right  being  about 
35  feet  in  height  and  the  left  one  about  20.  The  space  between  them  is  about 
30  feet,  and  covered  with  rocks  of  various  shapes  and  sizes  thrown  together 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  bring  to  mind  those  lines  more  celebrated  for  wit  than 
piety— 

'  Nature,  having  spent  all  her  store, 

'  Heaped  up  rocks — she  could  do  no  more.' 

The  descent  from  the  general  surface  of  those  promiscuous  rocks  to  the  mouth 
of  the  cavern  is  about  10  feet.  The  first  room,  which  is  something  in  the  form 
of  a  parallelogram,  is  12  feet  in  length,  9  in  breadth,  and  6  in  height.  The 
passage  from  the  first  to  the  second  room  is  9  feet  long,  3  1-2  high,  and  2  wide. 
The  second  room  is  not  so  large.  Its  length  is  9  1-2  feet,  width  4,  and  height 
6  feet.  From  the  second  room  there  is  an  opening  to  two  others,  one  on  the 
right,  the  other  on  the  left.  The  one  on  the  right  is  5  feet  high,  7  1-2  long, 
and  3  1-2  wide.  The  room  on  the  left  is  5  feet  high,  9  long,  and  4  wide. 
From  this  there  is  a  narrow  passage  on  the  left  into  which  my  son  entered, 
12  feet  in  length  and  2  in  width.  From  one  extremity  of  the  cavern  to  the 
other  is  about  40  feet." 


20 

of  Middle  is  what  is  now  known  as  Meeting  House  hill, 
looming  up  above  its  neighbors,  in  seeming  forgetfulness 
of  the  doubtful  honor  of  the  sobriquet  of  Misery  hill, 
sometimes  applied  to  its  southern  terminus  ;  beyond  this 
lies  Little  Lebanon,  and  still  farther  west,  Blue  hill  com- 
pletes the  mystic  seven. 

To  one  gazing  off  from  this  Meeting  House  hill,  or 
journeying  hence  in  different  directions,  the  prospect  is 
essentially  that  which  greets  the  eye  to-day.  True,  the 
roads  are  not  so  easy,  or  the  lands  so  smooth,  or  the 
dwellings  so  comfortable  and  commodious  as  now. 
Blackened  stumps  still  protrude  from  many  a  clearing. 
The  log  cabin  has  not  yet  begun  its  westward  march,  and 
occasionally  a  wigwam  peeps  out  from  some  sunny  nook, 
or  Ashbow  and  his  clan  are  seen  pursuing  their  game 
across  the  fields.  No  church  spire  bids  the  dwellers  in 
these  valleys  lift  their  thoughts  toward  heaven.  No 
grave-yard  whitens  yonder  plain.  Nor  are  there  school 
houses  yet  at  every  turn,  New  England's  mighty  enginery, 
destined  in  the  course  of  time  to  revolutionize  the  world. 
Perhaps  one  of  us  transported  back  to  this  early  day 
would  be  struck  most  by  the  Great  Pine  Swamp,  an 
immense  extent  of  pines  skirting  the  eastern  base  of 
Meeting  House  hill,  and  spreading  out  through  the  whole 
length  and  breadth  of  the  valley.  Yet,  after  all,  the 
changes  which  these  hundred  and  fifty  years  have  wrought, 
are  not  so  great  that  we  should  fail  to  recognize  our 
honored  town  or  cease  to  feel  at  home  within  her  borders. 
The  cultivated  lands  are,  mainly,  the  same  as  now  ;  the 
farm  houses  occupy  the  same  positions  ;  nay,  if  we  knock 
for  entrance,  a  cordial  welcome  awaits  us  from  the  grand- 
fathers and  great-grandfathers  of  those  who  preside  over 
the  self  same  hearths  to-day.  Starting  near  the  Society 
line  and  going  north,  the  traveler  first  passes  the  residence 


' 


21 

of  Capt.  Joseph  Tracy,  a  grandson  of  Lieut.  Thomas 
Tracy,  and  ancestor  of  the  late  Dr.  Philemon  Tracy. 
If  he  chances  to  take  the  Portipaug  road  he  will  soon 
pass  the  residence  of  Serj.  Nathaniel  Rudd ;  then  that  of 
Samuel  Hartshorne,  situated  upon  the  spot  occupied 
by  successive  generations  of  the  family  to  the  present 
day  ;  next  that  of  Lieut.  Thomas  Hazen,  under  the 
family  name  till  recently ;  and  at  the  head  of  the  lane, 
upon  the  right,  the  homestead  of  Dr.  David  Hartshorne, 
father  of  Samuel  Hartshorne  below,  the  first  physician 
of  the  society,  and  a  most  exemplary  man  ;  he  then  passes 
successively,  the  houses  of  Benjamin  and  John  Arm- 
strong ;  and  if  he  still  keeps  to  the  right  he  will  pass  the 
place  of  Capt.  John  Fillmore,  ancestor  of  President 
Fillmore,  and  noted  for  his  encounter  with  the  pirates  ; 
and,  near  by,  the  residence  of  Samuel  Griswold  ;  and 
finally  cross  the  Shetucket  at  Elderkin's  (now  Lord's) 
bridge,  near  which  lives  John  Elderkin,  and  are  located 
the  saw  and  gristmill  for  that  section  ;  or,  taking  the  left 
hand  road,  winding  around  through  Portipaug,  he  passes, 
among  others,  the  places  of  Increase  Mosely,  Doctor 
John  Sabin,  and  Joseph  Ayer  and  his  son  Joseph  ;  and 
climbing  upon  Pleasure  hill,  finds  there  the  farms  of 
Jacob  Hyde  and  David  Ladd.  Returning  to  the  start- 
ing point  and  following  the  Windham  road,  our  traveler 
passes  at  Rudd  hill  what  soon  became  the  residence  of 
Nathaniel  Rudd,  Jr. ;  soon  observes  at  a  short  distance 
upon  the  right,  that  of  the  ist  Thomas  Hyde,  and  a  little 
farther  off  that  of  John  Pember,  afterwards  society 
sexton,  as  were  his  son  and  grandson  after  him ;  and  still 
farther  on  in  that  direction,  upon  Birchard's  plain,  the 
residence  of  James  Birchard ;  reaches  at  the  foot  of 
Middle  hill  the  house  of  Joshua  Abell,  and,  climbing 
the  hill  by  the  old   and    tortuous  way,   the  more   direct 


22 


route  being  yet  unopened,  passes  on  the  ascent  John 
Badger,  at  the  top,  the  Kingsbury  Mansion,  and  so 
successively,  Serj.  Winslow  Tracy,  William  Hogskin, 
John  Gager,  Jonathan  Hartshorne,  a  brother  of  David, 
Joseph  Downer  and  Joseph  Reynolds.  Returning  south- 
ward and  journeying  up  Lebanon  road,  our  traveler 
first  passes  the  home  of  Serj.  Obadiah  Smith,  and  still 
farther  along,  at  the  foot  of  Little  Lebanon  hill,  that 
of  Jabez  Hyde,  first  clerk  of  the  society ;  ascending 
the  hill,  that  of  Samuel  Crocker,  from  whom  that  portion 
of  the  hill  now  takes  its  name  ;  at  the  top  of  the  hill,  the 
Huntington  mansion,  then  occupied  by  Christopher 
Huntington ;  farther  on,  John  Tracy ;  next,  Joseph 
Edgerton  ;  and  farther  on,  at  the  other  end  of  the  hill, 
the  first  Jeremiah  Mason.  Returning  into  West  Farms 
by  the  Blue  hill  road,  he  passes  on  Blue  hill  the  farms  of 
Samuel  Pettis,  Serj.  Israel  Lathrop  and  Ebeneezer 
Johnson ;  then,  descending  through  the  Hollow,  and 
passing  the  mill  of  Thomas  Sluman,  and  on  the  ascent, 
the  farm  of  the  mysterious  Micah  Rood,  he  finds  on  the 
brow  of  Meeting  House  hill,  the  Capt.  John  Lothrup 
place,  and  still  farther  on,  in  front  of  our  present  parson- 
age, the  then  Arnold  place,  afterwards  occupied  by  Rev. 
Henry  Willes,  and  upon  the  opposite  corner,  the  dwell- 
ing of  Benjamin  Peck.  Nor  are  these  all.  During  his 
tour  the  dwellings  of  many  others  have  caught  his  eye, 
some  of  them  not  unknown  to  us,  though  of  less  interest 
to  the  present  generation,  the  rest  long  since  forgotten. 
More  than  once,  perhaps,  in  his  walk,  he  has  been  startled 
by  the  warning  of  the  rattlesnake  ;  or,  if  his  visit  fall  in 
springtime,  urged  to  join  in  the  annual  expeditions  against 
these  terrible  pests  of  the  settlement.*     Lingering  awhile, 


*  Rattlesnakes  were  for  many  years  the  pest  of  the  settlement.      It  is  said 
that  they  nearly  frightened  away  the  first  settler  at  Portipaug  by  their  frequent 


23 

he  will  find  ample  chance  for  nobler  sport  in  the  frequent 
forays  against  the  bears  and  wolves,  still  numerous  enough 
to  endanger  the  safety  of  the  herds.  Would  that  in  his 
stead  we  might  tarry  for  a  time,  and,  gathering  round 
some  cheerful  hearth,  observe  the  homely,  though  genial 
customs  of  the  day,  learn  of  the  topics  that  interest  our 
sturdy  sires,  and  be  quickened  in  fidelity  to  conviction, 
by  the  story  of  their  own  and  their  fathers'  heroic 
struggles  to  maintain  the  truth. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  survey,  that  the  West  Farms 
are  at  length  fully  prepared  for  a  more  independent  exis- 
tence. They  now  number  nearly  fifty  families,*  and  the 
burthens  of  connection  with  a  society  whose  center  is  so 
distant  are  far  greater  than  would  be  those  of  maintaining 
a  separate  organization,  while  the  benefits  are  correspond- 
ingly less.  As  early  as  1610  the  discontent  with  the 
existing  arrangement  creates  a  strong  desire  for  a  new 
township,  and  finds  actual  expression  in  a  petition  to  the 
town  for  leave  to  organize  a  separate  society.  For  some 
reason  no  definite  action  is  taken  upon  this  petition. 
But  six  years  later  the  project  is  crowned  with  success. 

On  the  nineteenth  of  September,  1716,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  of  Norwich  agree  in  general  town  meeting, 
"  that  the  West  Farmers  be  allowed  to  be  a  society  by 
themselves."f  The  next  step  is  to  secure  incorporation 
by  the  General  Assembly,  and  to  this  end  the  following 
petition  is  preferred  to  that  body  : — 


visits  to  his  cabin.  For  a  long  time  a  large  bounty  was  offered  for  their 
destruction,  and  several  of  the  early  days  of  May  were  annually  devoted  to 
hunting  them. 

*  Several  families  are  known  to  have  been  here  at  this  time  who  are  unrep- 
resented on  the  petition  to  the  General  Assembly. 

f  Upon  ye  petition  of  ye  West  Farmers  in  Nowich,  pleading  to  be  a  society 
by  themselves,  the  inhabitants  now  met  in  general  Town  meeting,  September 
19th,  1716.      And  having  considered   sd    Petition,  do  agree  yt  ye  sd  West 


24 

To  the  Honourble  the  Govern1-,  Council  &  Representatives 
in  General  Court,  assembled  at  New  Haven,  Octo- 
ber nth,  1716. 
May  it  please  yr  HonrB. 

We,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Norwich,  comonly 
called  the  West  Farmers  of  Norwich,  Having  obtained  the 
consent  of  sd  town,  to  be  a  distinct  society,  after  having 
the  allowance  of  this  Honble  Court ;  as  appears  by  their 
vote  dated  Septemb1-  19th,  1716,  Do  now  pray  yr  Hon18  to 
grant  and  constitute  us  a  distinct  society,  according  to  the 
line  agreed  upon  in  the  above  referred  to  vote,  with  those 
privileges  and  imunities,  which  to  yr  wisdom  shall  seem 
needful  to  the  promoting  the  end  of  our  being  a  separate 
society.  And  herein  we  have  great  hopes  of  the  favor  of 
this  HonWe  Assembly,  forasmuch  as  the  flourishing  of  re- 
ligion is  our  only  motive,  upon  the  publick  institutions 
of  which  it  is  scarce  possible  for  us  to  attend  in  Norwich, 
being  several  of  us  seven  or  eight  &  but  two  or  three 
within  four  miles  of  the  place  of  publick  worship. 

And  to  this  application  to  yr  Hon1"8  we  are  also  encour- 
aged by  the  smiles  of  Providence  in  increasing  our  inhab- 
itants to  the  number  of  above  forty  families  &  trust  that 
by  the  continuance  of  the  same  divine  favour  we  shall 
increase  yet  much  more,  &  especially,  if  we  have  the 
smiles  of  heaven  to  incline  yr  Hon1-8  to  grant  this,  our  hum- 
ble request,  which  will  remove  the  great  discouragement 
to  sober  inhabitants  settling  among  us. 

Yr  Petitioners  shall  ever  Pray,  &c. 


Farmers  be  allowed  to  be  a  society  by  themselves,  destinct  from  ye  Town 
Plot.  [The  bounds  of  sd  society  ;  to  begin  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver  brook, 
then  by  a  line  to  Doct.  Hartshorne's  house,  thence  to  Scotch  Cap  gate,  then 
to  ye  river,  then  by  ye  river  to  Lebanon  line  and  by  Lebanon  to  Shoatuck 
(Shetucket)  river,  by  ye  river  to  ye  first  station.] 
A  True  Coppy  of  Record, 

Test :  R.  BUSH  NELL,  Clerk. 


25 


Daniel  Wicom, 
John  Elderkin,  Jun1 
Incres  Mosely, 
Thomas  Wood, 
John  Waterman, 
Thomas  Hazzen, 
Obadiah  Smith, 
Israll  Lothrup, 


Jacob  Hazzen, 
Joseph  Edgerton, 
Christopher  Huntington, 
Daniel  Rockwell, 
John  Hazen, 
Tho  :  Stoder, 
Samuel  Edgerton, 
Joseph  Kingsbery, 


Joseph  Kingsbery,  Junr,  Winslow  Tracy, 


Ebeneezer  Johnson, 
Joseph  Baker, 
Joseph  Downer,  Jr., 
Joseph  Downer, 


Nathaniel  Badger, 
John  Badger, 
Joseph  Renalls,  Junr, 
Samuel  Lad, 


Johnathan  Hartshorne,    Nathaniel  Lad, 


Johnathan  Roice, 
Thomas  Hide, 
Thomas  Hazzen, 
Benjamin  Armstrong, 
Samuel  Raymond, 
John  Armstrong, 
John  Johnson, 


david  Lad, 
Thomas  Sluman, 
Samuel  Hide,  Jur, 
Joseph  Ayer, 
Joseph  Ayer,  Jr., 
Johnathan  Lad, 
Sims  Langly. 


This  petition  is  readily  sanctioned  by  the  legislature, 
and  our  society  therefore  dates  its  existence  from  October, 
1716,  it  being  the  second  society  organized  in  the  old  nine 
miles  square,  and  so  designated  till  the  division  of  the 
town  in  1786.  At  first  its  territorial  limits  were  quite 
extensive.  In  addition  to  most  of  the  present  town  of 
Franklin,  it  also  embraced  the  western  half  of  the  present 
town  of  Sprague,  and  the  eastern  part  of  New  Concord, 
afterwards  known  as  Bozrah,  in  all  about  three  times  its 
extent  at  the  abolition  of  the  territorial  jurisdictions  of 
ecclesiastical  societies. 

Measures  are  at  once  taken  to  put  the  new  society  into 
active  operation.      The  first  meeting  is  held   November 


26 

ist ;  Serj.  Nathaniel  Rudd,  Lieut.  Thomas  Hazen  and  Serj. 
Obadiah  Smith,  are  chosen  society  committee,  and  Jabez 
Hide  (by  a  remarkable  coincidence  direct  ancestor  of  our 
present  clerk)  society  clerk ;  it  is  voted  to  proceed  to  the 
erection  of  a  church  edifice ;  to  call  a  minister,  and,  till 
the  building  is  ready,  to  meet  for  divine  worship  at  pri- 
vate dwellings.  The  services  thus  held  alternate  between 
the  houses  of  James  Birchard  and  Dr.  David  Hartshorne. 
Meanwhile,  work  upon  the  new  edifice  is  pushed  forward 
as  rapidly  as  possible.  The  timber  is  felled  upon  the  hill, 
and  the  frame  set  up  near  by,  "  down  att  ye  walnut  bush 
where  ye  path  comes  up  ye  hill,"  and  in  the  locality  occu- 
pied by  the  two  following  churches.  The  land  was  the 
gift  of  Joshua  Abel.  But  with  the  limited  means  at  the 
command  of  the  society,  progress  is  necessarily  slow, 
and  it  is  not  till  the  next  summer  that  the  building 
receives  its  outside  covering  and  floors  ;  this  done,  the 
pulpit  and  seats  of  the  old  church  at  the  Town  Plot  are  pro- 
cured for  temporary  use,  and  the  first  services  held  within 
its  walls.  During  the  warm  weather  up  to  this  time,  the 
congregation  had  gathered  in  Benjamin  Peck's  barn. 
Hungering  for  the  living  truth,  they  stripped  off  the  dry 
husks  of  form,  having  not  yet  learned  the  faith  which  feeds 
upon  external  things  alone.  Two  years  after,  the  lower 
portion  of  the  house  is  finished  off,  and  in  1729  galleries 
are  added,  when  the  edifice,  slowly  erected  out  of  scanty 
means  by  sacrifice  and  self-denial,  can,  at  length,  be  pro- 
nounced complete. 

The  early  gatherings  in  private  dwellings  and  the 
unfinished  church,  are  under  the  exclusive  control  of  the 
society.  It  is  not  till  the  second  Wednesday  of  October, 
1 71 8,  one  Hundred  and  Fifty  years  ago  to-day,  on  oc- 
casion of  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Henry  Willes,  that  a 
church  is  organized  as  co-ordinate  with  the  society  in  the 


management  of  religious  affairs.*  This  society,  therefore, 
is  two  years  older  than  the  church  connected  with  it — 
not  an  uncommon  occurrence  in  the  early  history  of  our 
State.  The  society  supplies  the  more  material  elements 
which  come  first  in  point  of  time.  Being  an  incorporate 
body,  it  can  purchase  and  hold  property,  and  is  especially 
designed  to  provide  a  place  for  public  worship  and  to 
defray  the  cost  of  maintaining  the  gospel  ordinances 
therein,  matters  which  the  church,  a  body  unrecognized 
at  law,  cannot  well  arrange,  though  they  are  of  the  first 
importance.  Naturally,  then,  the  organization  of  a  society 
is  the  first  step,  and  frequently,  in  primitive  days, 
the  church  was  not  gathered  till  long  afterward ;  the 
society  maintained  all  the  ordinances  except  the  com- 
munion and  baptism,  for  which  the  people  had  to  resort 
to  some  neighboring  church.  Thus,  for  instance,  in  Lyme 
the  society  ranked  some  thirty  years  prior  to  the  church. 
But  other  concerns  besides  the  building  of  a  meeting 


*  We  subjoin  the  following  petition  extracted  from  the  Archives  of  Con- 
necticut. 

To  the  Honble  Gurdon  Saltonstall,  Govern1-  in  and  over  his  May6  colloney  of 
Connecticut  in  New  England.  And  ....  The  Honble  the  councill  and  the 
Representatives  in  General  Court  Assembled  at  Hartford  this  eighth  of 
May,  1718. 

The  Humble  Petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  that  Part  of  Norwich  which  is 
called  or  ...  .  known  by  the  name  of  West  Farmers  within  the  Colloney  of 
Connecticut  Aforesaid,  Humbly  Sheweth. 

That  whereas  this  HonWe  Court  at  their  Session  at  New  Haven  In  ye  month 
of  October  In  ye  year  1716,  In  answer  to  ye  petition,  To  us  sd  Inhabitants 
Did  Grant  us  Liberty  to  be  a  society  by  ourselves,  which  Petition  or  Liberty 
being  granted,  we  have  Invited  The  Revnd  Mr.  Henry  Willes  to  preach  ye  gos- 
pel Amongst  us  ;  who  having  been  with  us  some  time  on  probation — we  have 
now  mutually  agreed  with  him  In  order  to  settlement  Amongst  us  In  the  work 
of  The  Ministry. 


Signed  in  ye  behalf  of  ye 
Society, 

David  Hartshorne, 
Thomas  Sluman. 


Wherefore  we,  your  most   Humble   Petitioners, 

crave  and  earnestly  desire  this  HonWe  Court's  Ap- 

*"  probation  And   Consent  to  proceed  to  ordination, 

and  an  allowance  to  Imbody  ourselves  Into  Church 

Estate. 


28 

Louse  and  engagement  of  a  pastor  demand  immediate 
attention.  In  former  days  the  interests  of  education  were 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  the  different  societies,  and  with 
the  happiest  results.  The  same  conscientious  fidelity  to 
duty  which  impelled  our  fathers  to  maintain  the  ordinances 
of  religion  at  any  sacrifice,  impelled  them  also  to  stud  the 
land  with  school  houses,  that  an  intelligent  faith  might  be 
within  grasp  of  all,  and  that  the  state  might  be  planted  on 
the  sure  foundation  of  popular  education.  One  of  the 
first  acts  of  the  society  relates  to  a  society  school.  This 
school  is  located  upon  Meeting  House  hill  and  kept  open 
six  months  of  the  year.  A  portion  of  the  cost  is  defrayed 
by  the  state,  but  the  society  also  contributes  freely,  voting 
annually  to  this  object  twenty-five  or  thirty  pounds.  Yet 
the  best  endeavors  could  provide  the  youth  of  that  day 
with  no  royal  road  to  learning.  However  able  the  in- 
structor, or  diligent  the  scholar,  the  want  of  cheap  and 
systematic  text  books  was  a  formidable  barrier  to  high 
attainment.  Not  infrequently  the  teacher  owned  the 
only  arithmetic  or  grammar  to  be  found  in  the  school. 
In  this  society  the  distant  scholars  encountered  the 
additional  obstacle  of  a  walk  of  three  or  four  miles  morn- 
ing and  night.  This  inconvenience  led,  in  1727,  to  the 
division  of  the  society  into  four  school  districts ;  Porti- 
paug,  Upper  Windham  road,  Lower  Windham  road  and 
Lebanon  road.  But  the  population  was  too  scanty  for  the 
maintenance  of  separate  schools,  and  the  division  re- 
mained inoperative  till,  in  1729,  this  difficulty  was  curiously 
obviated  by  a  school  which  traveled  from  district  to  dis- 
trict, keeping  six  weeks  in  each.  This  migratory  school 
proved  a  complete  success.  All  were  delighted  with  it, 
and  for  many  seasons  the  pedagogue  continued  his  itin- 
erant sway. 

Still  other   matters  press  upon  the  attention  from  the 


29 

very  outset,  some  of  them  trivial  in  themselves,  though 
highly  important  as  illustrations  of  the  extensive  functions 
of  the  early  societies.  Thus,  our  own  society  had  dele- 
gated to  it  additional  powers  which  resembled  those 
of  our  present  town  government.  While  it  could  impose 
taxes  upon  the  entire  community  and  had  control  of 
schools,  its  records  show  that  it  also  engaged  in  such  civil 
affairs  as  the  laying  out  of  highways,  and  even  went  so 
far  as  to  build  a  public  pound.  Burying  grounds  were 
also  under  its  charge,  and  the  society  early  took  care  to 
provide  a  suitable  cemetery.  The  spot  selected  was  upon 
"the  playne  "*  where  Benjamin  Peck  had  previously 
buried  a  daughter.  This  ground,  twice  afterward  en- 
larged, is  the  one  in  use  at  the  present  day.  For  many 
years  it  was  the  only  regular  cemetery  in  the  society, 
though  a  few  graves  were  dug,  at  an  early  day,  upon  a 
sandy  knoll  jutting  into  the  Great  Pine  Swamp,  and  now 
commonly  called  the  Indian  Burying  Ground. 

All  in  all,  for  the  first  few  years  the  young  society 
flourished  finely.  The  tide  of  prosperity,  however,  could 
not  flow  on  forever,  and  in  1734  tbe  current  changes. 
That  year  the  General  Assembly  permit  the  people  of 
New  Concord  (the  western  part  of  the  society)  to  procure 
preaching  by  themselves,  and  two  years  later  incorporate 
them  into  a  distinct  society.  Deprived  thereby  of  a  fifth 
of  her  territory,  the  parent  society  resists  the  movement 
vigorously,  and,  could  she  have  foreseen  the  endless 
troubles  destined  to  follow  in  its  train,  would,  doubtless, 
have  staked  her  all  upon  the  issue ;  for  this  secession 
proved  the  first  cause  of  twenty  years  of  the  most  turbu- 
lent commotion,  and  of  a  second  more  vital  change.  The 
society  had,  by  this  time,  outgrown  the  first  church,  which 


*  The  Plain  was  then  usually  called  "  Birchard's  Plain." 


3Q 

was  probably  a  rude  affair,  and  were  nearly  agreed  upon 
the  propriety  of  building  a  new  one,  when  the  withdrawal 
of  New  Concord  gave  an  unexpected  turn  to  the  matter. 
Before  her  withdrawal  the  church  had  stood  in  the  exact 
center  of  the  society,  but  now  it  was  thrown  a  mile  to  one 
side,  and  this  trifling  change  proved  sufficient  to  develop 
a  bitter  controversy  as  to  the  location  of  the  new  church, 
and  to  arouse  an  ^Etna  of  feeling  which  twenty  years  were 
powerless  to  assauge.  About  half  of  the  society  contend 
for  the  old  location,  while  the  other  half  strenuously  main- 
tain that  the  new  building  ought  to  stand  farther  east,  in 
the  real  center.  It  is  voted  to  build  upon  the  old  spot, 
rescinded,  voted  again,  and  then,  as  a  temporary  com- 
promise, to  repair  and  enlarge  the  present  building  ;  but 
this  proposition  shares  the  fate  of  the  rest,  and  at  the  end 
of  several  years  of  constant  agitation,  the  society  finds 
itself  at  a  perfect  standstill.  Finally,  as  the  only  egress, 
a  majority  petition  the  General  Assembly  for  a  committee 
to  come  and  settle  the  disputed  point.  The  committee 
sent  in  response  to  this  petition,  visit  West  Farms  in  the 
fall  of  174.1,  spend  two  days  in  hearing  the  opposing 
parties,  and  report:  "  (1),  That  it  is  necessary  that  a  new 
meeting  house  should  be  erected  in  said  society  :  (2),  that 
it  will  best  accommodate  the  greater  part  of  the  people 
there,  and  tend  most  to  peace  to  have  the  same  built  on 
the  hill  where  the  old  meeting  house  stands,  and  as  follows, 
viz. :  that  the  south-westerly  corner  be  laid  about  twenty 
feet  west  of  an  old  chestnut  stub  yt  is  about  forty  feet  from 
the  southwest  corner  of  the  old  meeting  house,  and  to  extend 
toward  ye  old  meeting  house  in  ye  length  as  far  as  may  be 
convenient,  and  to  the  northward  of  sd  stump  in  ye 
width."  This  report  meets  the  approval  of  the  legislature, 
and  the  society  is  directed  to  build  upon  the  spot  selected. 
Though  the  disputed  points  have  now  been  authorita- 


3i 

tively  settled,  the  troubles  are  by  no  means  at  an  end. 
Old  jealousies  and  animosities  still  lurk  behind,  and  render 
the  erection  of  the  new  edifice  as  difficult  as  was  the  se- 
lection of  the  spot  on  which  it  should  stand.  The  sound- 
ing board  used  to  bear  in  bold,  black  figures,  the  date  of 
1745,  but  the  reports  of  the  clerk  to  the  General  Assembly 
show  that  it  was  not  completed  till  after  1747. 

Not  a  few  of  the  audience  will  readily  recall  this  second 
church,  with  its  immense  sounding  board,  the  wonder  of 
boyish  days,  its  double  row  of  high  backed  pews  running 
around  the  sides,  and  enclosing  in  the  center  two  tiers  of 
slips,  between  which  ran  the  broad  main  aisle,  leading  up 
to  the  Deacons'  Seat,  and  the  little  antique  pulpit,  cush- 
ioned with  gray  and  hung  round  with  long,  black  tassels, 
that  used  to  sway  in  the  summer  wind  like  a  pall.  In  the 
center  were  seated  the  aged  people,  husbands  and  wives 
on  opposite  sides,  while  the  younger  families  gathered  in 
the  surrounding  pews,  and  the  young  unmarried  people 
ranged  themselves  in  pert,  prim  rows  in  either  gallery, 
the  men  on  the  right  and  the  women  on  the  left.  Behind 
these  were  the  wall  pews  of  the  galleries,  so  lofty  that 
their  chance  occupants  seemed,  as  it  were,  suspended  in 
huge  boxes  from  the  ceiling.  Conspicuous  in  front  was 
the  Deacons'  Seat,  and  high  above  it  the  pulpit, .from 
which  for  many  years  successive  pastors  had  proclaimed 
the  word  of  life.  All  was  plain,  simple,  and  tinged,  per- 
haps, with  a  sombre  air.  The  church  was  plain,  the 
people  were  plain,  and  the  message  of  the  preacher  fell  with 
a  plain  earnestness  that  went  direct  to  every  heart.  Alto- 
gether, it  was  a  fair  type  of  the  puritan  congregation  as  it 
had  earlier  existed  over  all  New  England,  and  yet  a  con- 
gregation how  worthy  of  imitation  in  their  devout 
attention,  and  their  religious  zeal,  that  worked  like  leaven 
through  the  entire  community,  bringing  every  man,  woman 


32 

and  child  unto  the  house  of  God,  and  fairly  realizing  the 
words  of  ancient  writ,  "All  the  people  praised  the  Lord." 
But  hark,  the  roll  of  a  drum  announces  the  approaching 
hour  of  worship,  and  along  the  converging  roads  the 
people  may  be  seen  climbing  to  the  sanctuary.  From 
the  South,  the  Ffydes,  Hartshornes,  Rudds  and  Rogerses; 
from  the  East,  the  Barkers,  Fillmores,  Ayreses,  Ladds, 
Elderkins,  Birchards,  Armstrongs  and  Pembers  ;  from  the 
North,  the  Kingsburys,  Edgertons,  Badgers,  Downers, 
Gagers,  Barstows  and  Tracys  ;  from  the  West,  the  Hunt- 
ingtons,  Johnsons,  Slumans,  Roods,  Lathrops,  Crockers, 
Pettises,  Tracys  and  Masons  are  drawing  near.  The  men 
on  horseback  with  their  wives  behind  them,  the  children 
and  poorer  people  on  foot,  slowly  and  thoughtfully  are 
wending  their  way  to  the  house  of  God.  As  they 
approach,  glance  at  them.  The  men  are  arrayed  in  pow- 
dered wigs,  ruffled  shirts,  elaborately  embroidered  waist- 
coats with  white  lappels,  knee  breeches,  silk  stockings 
and  silver  buckled  shoes.  Their  wives,  with  hair  piled 
up  "  in  curls  on  curls  before  and  mounted  to  a  formidable 
tower  "  appear  entirely  in  garments  of  domestic  fabrica- 
tion, cut  in  a  manner  betokening  an  eye  in  their  wearers 
for  the  prevailing  fashion,  which  certainly  will  compare 
favorably  in  capriciousness  with  post-colonial  clays.  En- 
tering, in  either  corner  is  posted  a  tything  man,  with  long 
slender  rod  in  hand,  to  preserve  order,  while  the  deacons 
are  already  standing  in  their  conspicuous  pew.  But  see, 
the  drum  has  ceased  its  roll,  and  the  pastor  approaches 
across  the  green,  and  with  slow  and  measured  step  enters 
the  church.  Instantly  all  noise  is  hushed,  the  deacons 
quietly  and  reverently  take  their  seats,  the  tything  men 
lay  aside  their  rods,  and  the  congregation  waits  in  order 
for  the  opening  of  the  service.  Rev.  Mr.  Willes  calls  out 
the  number  of  a  Hymn  and  reads  : — 


33 

"  Hierusalem,  my  happy  home  ! 
When  shall  I  come  to  thee  ! 
When  shall  my  sorrowes  have  an  end, 
Thy  joyes  when  shall  I  see?  " 

Immediately  Deacon  Kingsbury,  (as  books  were  not 
abundant  at  that  day),  "  deacons  off"  the  line,  Artemus 
Downer,  the  schoolmaster,  strikes  up  some  favorite  tune, 
and  the  entire  congregation,  young  and  old,  perhaps  with 
not  the  best  of  harmony,  but  yet  with  earnest  tones, 
respond — 

"  Hierusalem,  my  happy  home  ! 
When  shall  I  come  to  thee  !  " 

The  hymn  concluded,  the  people  rise  and  stand  during 
the  prayer  that  follows.  This  finished,  they  resume  their 
seats,  the  pastor  sets  up  his  hour  glass,  announces  his 
text,  and  reads  on  from  a  cramped  and  dingy  manuscript 
till  the  sands  are  run,  to  the  great  edification  of  his  hearers, 
who  listen  with  unabstracted  gaze,  save  when  the  tything 
man,  Judah  Smith,  comes  up  the  aisle  to  reprove  Talatha 
Morgan  for  "  laughing  and  playing."*      A  short  prayer 


*  To  Ebenr  Hartshorne,  of  Norwich,  in  New  London  County,  one  of  his 
Majesty's  Justices  of  the  peace  for  sd  county,  comes  Judah  Smith  of  sd 
Norwich,  one  of  the  Tything  men  chosen  by  ye  sd  Town  of  Norwich  for  ye 
west  Society  in  said  Norwich,  and  Informs  and  upon  oath  presents  that 
Talatha  Morgan  of  sd  Norwich,  single  woman,  Did  on  ye  24th  day  of  Feb- 
ruary last,  it  being  ye  Sabbath  or  Lord's  day,  prophane  sd  Lord's  day  in  ye 
meeting  house  in  ye  west  society  in  ye  time  of  ye  forenoon  service  on  sd  da)'  by 
her  Rude  and  Indecent  Behaviour  in  Laughing  and  playing  in  ye  time  of  sd 
service,  which  Doings  of  ye  sd  Talatha  is  against  ye  peace  of  our  Sovereign 
Lord,  the  King,  his  Crown  and  Dignity,  and  contrary  to  the  Statute  in  such 
case  made  and  provided.  Dated  at  Norwich,  ye  19th  Day  of  April,  A.  D. 
1747,  and  in  ye  20th  year  of  his  Majesty's  Reign. 

Take  for  evidences,  Judah  Smith,  Tything  Man,  Cibel  Waterman  ye  wife  of 
Ebenr   Waterman,  Junr  ,  and  Judah  Smith.     Both  of  sd  Norwich. 

1747,  April  28,  the  above  named  Talatha  Morgan  appeared  personally  and 
pleaded  guilty  to  ye  above  presentment,  and  sentenced  to  pay  a  fine  £0,  3,  o, 
and  £0,  1,  o,  cost  for  her  above  transgression,  by  me  ye  above  named  Justice. 
which  fine  and  cost  is  paid. 


34 

follows  the  sermon,  ending  in  the  benediction,  the  closing 
word  of  which  has  barely  fallen  from  the  pastor's  lips, 
when,  from  his  corner,  the  tything  man  cries  in  sharp, 
quick  tones,  "  James  Elderkin  and  Betty  Waterman  intend 
marriage*;''  and  so  the  congregation  break  up,  and  wend 
their  way  homeward,  to  meditate  upon  the  lessons  of  the 
sermon,  though  some,  perhaps,  to  wonder  why  and  when 
Miss  Betty  Waterman  is  to  become  Mrs.  James  Elderkin. 

And  here  we  will  linger  a  moment  over  a  custom  long 
since  abandoned  ;  the  custom  of  seating  the  church.  In 
early  times,  the  expenses  of  the  society  were  met  by  a 
direct  tax,  instead  of  a  levy  on  the  pews  and  slips,  and 
these  were  consequently  free.  But  to  preserve  the  gravity 
and  decorum  of  the  assembly,  to  secure  the  nearer  and 
conspicuous  seats  for  aged  listeners,  and  to  prevent  assur- 
ance from  pushing  aside  honest  worth,  a  committee  was 
annually  appointed  to  assign  permanent  seats  to  the  con- 
gregation, in  accordance  with  their  ideas  of  propriety, 
though  in  conformity  to  the  general  rule  of  "  age  and 
estate."  This  office  of  virtually  pronouncing  upon  the 
worth  and  respectability  of  the  different  members  of  the 
community  was  no  enviable  one,  and  many  were  the 
jealousies  enkindled  by  it,  not  infrequently  resulting  in  sev- 
eral seatings  of  the  church  before  a  satisfactory  one  could 
be  obtained.  It  is  related  that  a  certain  worthy  individual, 
entering  the  society  under  unfavorable  prejudices,  was 
assigned  an  obscure  seat  in  a  remote  corner,  and,  that 
though  he  afterwards  proved  a  most  valuable  acquisition 
to  the  society,  he  always  clung  to  his  humble  seat,  to  the 
great  discomfiture  of  the  committee  who  had  put  so  low 
an  estimate  upon  his  worth. 

Very  fortunately,  a  number  of  the  reports  of  these 
committees   have   been  preserved,   and   we  are  thereby 


35 

furnished  with  the  exact  arrangement  of  the  congrega- 
tions of  a  century  ago.  These  seatings  also  show  us,  seated 
side  by  side,  year  after  year,  the  immediate  ancestors  of 
such  a  galaxy  of  distinguished  men  as  probably  few  other 
country  towns  in  the  land  can  boast  of  as  her  own.  Here 
were  habitually  seated  the  ancestors  of  Hon.  Millard 
Fillmore,  late  President  of  the  United  States ;  the  father 
and  grandfather  of  Hon.  Uriah  Tracy,  United  States 
Senator  from  Connecticut  and  President  of  the  Senate  ; 
the  ancestors  of  Hon.  L.  F.  S.  Foster,  United  States 
Senator  from  Connecticut  and  also  President  of  the 
Senate ;  of  Hon.  Jeremiah  Mason,  United  States  Senator 
from  New  Hampshire ;  of  the  Hon.  Abel  Huntington, 
Uri  Tracy,  Phineas  L.  Tracy  and  Albert  H.  Tracy,  mem- 
bers of  Congress  from  the  State  of  New  York ;  of  Hon. 
Alfred  P.  Edgerton,  member  of  Congress  from  Indiana ; 
of  Hon.  John  Tracy,  Lieut.  Governor  of  New  York  ;  of 
Hon.  Ephraim  H.  Hyde,  present  Lieut.  Governor  of 
Connecticut ;  of  Rev.  Azel  Backus,  Pres't  of  Hamilton 
college  ;  of  Rev.  Charles  Backus,  Professor  of  Divinity  in 
Yale  college  ;  and  of  several  other  distinguished  members 
of  the  clerical  profession,  as  well  as  of  many  more  who  have 
attained  honorable  eminence  in  the  different  walks  of  life. 
These  persons  were  generally  to  the  manor  born,  but  when 
otherwise,  their  ancestral  homes  can  all  be  pointed  within 
our  territorial  limits  and  most  of  them  have  blood  relatives 
in  our  midst. 

It  is  a  favorite  theme  of  congratulation  among  the  sons 
of  Connecticut,  that  their  state  has  given  birth  to  so  many 
of  the  men  who  have  been  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
nation ;  and  surely,  no  town  of  our  extent,  in  this  grand 
old  state  of  Connecticut,  can  furnish  a  prouder  list  than 
our  own.  Our  society,  then,  may  well  rejoice  that  she 
has  helped  to  form  the  characters  of  men  who  have  been 


36 

so  potent  in  moulding  our  country's  destiny,  and  that 
through  them  her  humble  influence  has  been  felt  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land. 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  action  of  the  committee 
sent  out  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1741,  failed  to  quiet 
the  troubled  elements  of  the  society.  The  feelings  and 
convictions  of  the  contending  parties  were  too  firm  to  be 
easily  yielded,  and  the  eastern  party,  believing  as  they 
did,  that  their  rights  had  been  wholly  ignored,  became 
even  more  dicontented  than  before.  The  next  year, 
1742,  a  large  number  of  memorialists,  headed  by  John 
Durkee  and  Jacob  Hyde,  petition  the  General  Assembly, 
saying  that  the  church  now  being  erected  by  the  Assem- 
bly's order,  is  unjustly  located  on  one  side  of  the  society, 
at  an  unreasonable  distance  from  their  homes,  and  that  the 
inconvenience  of  journeying  thither  to  church  will  be  far 
greater  than  the  burthen  of  maintaining  a  separate  organ- 
ization, and  praying,  therefore,  for  liberty  to  withdraw 
and  form  a  separate  society.  The  Assembly,  unwilling  to 
reflect  upon  the  action  of  its  committee,  negative  the 
petition.  Nothing  daunted,  two  years  after,  the  same 
memorialists  prefer  the  same  petition,  and  again  fail. 
Two  petitions  sent  in  in  1745  from  the  north-eastern  and 
south-eastern  parts  of  the  society,  meet  a  similar  fate. 
But  the  popular  mind  is  too  deeply  roused  to  be  disheart- 
ened by  these  continued  rebuffs,  and  the  next  year  sixty 
voters  renew  the  petition,  and  this  time  so  far  prevail  that 
Jonathan  Trumble,  John  Ledyard  and  Christopher  Avery 
are  sent  out  to  West  Farms  to  adjust  their  difficulties. 
The  efforts  of  this  committee  prove  ineffectual,  though 
after  their  visit  the  controversy  takes  an  unexpected  turn. 
Thomas  Dennison,  an  itinerant  preacher,  had  entered  the 
society  some  time  before,  and  in  the  prevailing  distraction 
gathered  a  goodly  number   of  disciples.     What  his  par- 


OF    FRANKLIN,  CONN. 


I      I    IN  THE   MILITARY     SEI  ' 

roiTTKr 


37 

ticular  tenets  were,  is  uncertain,  but  it  is  evident  that  he 
added  fresh  fuel  to  the  strife,  and  contributed  in  no  small 
degree  to  the  change  which  it  assumed  soon  after  his 
arrival.  It  seems  that  Rev.  Henry  Willes  stood  upon  the 
Cambridge  Platform  of  1608,  in  which  we  may  presume 
he  received  the  tacit  support  of  the  society,  as  no  opposi- 
tion to  his  views  had  ever  appeared.  Of  a  sudden,  how- 
ever, we  find  half  of  the  society  in  arms  against  their  pastor 
for  his  adhesion  to  the  Cambridge  Platform,  and  the  other 
half  as  zealous  in  his  support.  The  old  proposition  for  a 
division,  which  doubtless  lay  at  the  bottom  of  this  theo- 
logical war,  now  starts  up  in  a  new  form.  In  1748  the 
General  Assembly  is  petitioned  to  divide  West  Farms 
into  two  societies,  one  to  be  planted  on  the  Cambridge, 
the  other  on  the  Saybrook  Platform.  In  response  to  this 
novel  memorial,  a  committee  is  sent  out,  who  recommend 
no  change.  Four  years  later,  another  committee  is  sent 
out  for  the  same  object,  and  with  the  same  result.  The 
society  had  now  for  fifteen  years  been  engaged  in  uninter- 
rupted strife,  during  which  the  arbitration  of  the  legisla- 
ture had  been  continually  invoked,  but  always  with  unsat- 
isfactory results,  and  both  parties  wisely  concluded  that 
their  troubles,  if  ever  settled,  must  be  settled  by  them- 
selves and  not  by  the  interference  of  a  higher  power. 
Accordingly,  we  find  no  more  petitions  to  the  General 
Assembly.  Yet  the  bitterness  and  ill  will,  the  discord 
and  dissension,  are  in  no  wise  at  an  end.  For  a  while  the 
seceders,  being  in  the  minority,  accomplish  no  visible 
result.  But  after  a  few  years  the  majority  apparently 
become  convinced  that  separation  alone  can  restore  peace 
and  tranquillity,  and  in  March,  1758,  consent  to  the  for- 
mation of  a  new  society,  provided  a  boundary  line  and 
the  number  of  inhabitants  to  be  setoff,  can  be  agreed  upon. 
Such  is  the  testy  temper,  however,  that  it  is  as  difficult  to 
3  ' 


agree  upon  the  boundary  line  as  it  has  been  upon  sep- 
aration, and  it  is  not  till  1761  that  this  point  can  be 
arranged,  when,  upon  the  23d  of  March,  a  line  is  at  length 
fixed  upon.*  These  proceedings  receive  the  ready  sanc- 
tion of  the  legislature,  and  the  new  society  is  incorporated 
as  the  Norwich  Eighth  or  Portipaug  society. 

Thus,  after  twenty  years  of  constant  strife,  at  length 
dawned  peace.  These  years  may  be  called,  emphatically, 
the  stormy  period  in  the  history  of  our  society.  Before, 
as  after,  its  proceedings  were  invariably  marked  by  har- 
mony and  unanimity,  but  during  the  interval  there  was  a 
display  of  feeling  unparalleled  for  bitterness  and  persist- 
ency in  the  ecclesiastical  annals  of  Connecticut.  The 
issue  was  doubtless  best  for  all  concerned,  for  the  existing 
breach  was  too  wide  to  be  ever  healed.  Yet  the  loss  to 
our  society  in  territory  and  numbers  was  a  serious  one. 
New  Concord  and  the  Eighth  Society  combined,  stripped 
her  of  over  half  of  her  territory,  and  quite  half  of  her 
grand  list. 


*  "  The  dividing  line  shall  be  as  follows  ;  to  begin  in  the  Dividing  Line 
between  the  first  society  in  sd  Norwich  and  sd  west  society  at  such  a  place 
that  to  run  to  the  Grist  Mill  of  Mr.  Timothy  Ayer,  will  pass  near  the  south 
side  of  the  Dwelling  House  of  David  Ladd,  then  from  sd  Grist  Mill  to  the 
Dwelling  House  of  Mr  John  Squire  in  sd  society,  then  the  same  course  to  sd 
Norwich  Town  Line."     Petition  to  the  Legislature. 

The  signers  of  this  petition  were  : — 


Joseph  Bingham, 
John  Fillmore, 
Joseph  Tenney, 
Joseph  Rudd, 
Joseph  Hide, 
Saml  Badger, 
Daniel  Ladd, 
Jabez  Rous, 
Benajah  Sabin, 
James  Elderkin, 
Saml  Raymond, 
Eliphalet  Fox, 
Asa  Armstrong, 
David  Lad, 


Simon  Abel, 
Saml  Kingsley, 
Andrew  French, 
Saml  Ladd,  Junr, 
Jeremiah  Armstrong, 
Alpheus  Abell, 
Wm.  Brett, 
Joseph  Ayre,  Jr., 
Johnathan  Pitcher, 
Benja  Armstrong, 
Simon  Chapman, 
Thomas  Hazen, 
John  Kingsley, 
Ephraim  Brett. 


Ezekiel  Ladd, 
Joseph  Ayer, 
John  Barker, 
Jacob  Hide,  Jr., 
John  Squire, 
Abner  Ladd, 
Barnabus  Lothrup, 
Timothy  Ayer, 
Richard    Haskin, 
Josiah  Wood, 
Leander  Lothrup, 
Simon  Peck, 
Daniel  Story, 


39 

Scarcely  are  domestic  troubles  at  an  end,  when  public 
calamities  break  upon  the  land,  and  the  men  of  our  society 
are  called  upon  to  shoulder  arms.     Through    the  French 
war  and  the  long  and  toilsome  Revolution  that  followed, 
they  shrank  not  from  their  share  of  the   heavy  burthens. 
As  Connecticut  was  first  among  the  states  in  her  contribu- 
tions   of  men  and   money,  as   Norwich  was  second  to  no 
town  in  Connecticut,   so   West   Farms,  an   integral  por- 
tion of  the  old  town  of  Norwich,  met  manfully  the  duties 
of  those  trying  days.     Having  then  no  political  existence, 
her  deeds  were  swallowed  up  in  those  of  the  larger  com- 
munity to  which  she  was  attached,  and  hence  receive  little 
mention  in  the  local  histories.       Her  volunteers  marched 
forth  as  Norwich  volunteers ;  as  citizens  of  Norwich,  her 
inhabitants  met  the  heavy  levies  which  the  necessities  of 
the  time  so  often  imposed.      Why  may  we  not,  then,  also 
claim  a  share  in  the  laurels  which  Norwich  won?      But 
we  may  also  point  with  pride   to  particular  individuals. 
Our  society  can   boast  of  having  furnished,  perhaps,  the 
only  chaplain,  Rev.  John  Ellis,  who  remained  in  the  war 
from  its  beginning  to  its  close.     Mr.  Ellis  hastened  to  join 
the  army  at  Roxbury,  in  the  fall  of  1775,  and  faithfully 
followed  it  through  all  its  vicissitudes,   especially  doing 
much  to  cheer  the  drooping  spirits  of  his  comrades  during 
the  long  and  gloomy  winter  at  Valley  Forge.    Here  Lieut. 
Jacob  Kingsbury  began  his  long  and  honorable   military 
career,  serving  with   distinction  during  the  entire  seven 
years  of  the  war.      Captains  Asa   Hartshorne,   Ebenezer 
Hartshorne  and  Joshua  Barker  were  also  in   the  army 
for  different  periods,  while  upon  the  water.  West  Farms 
was  well  represented  by  the  exploits  of  Captain  James 
Hyde.     Dr.   Luther  Waterman  was  attached  as  surgeon 
to  the  forces  under  Colonel  Knowlton  in  the  campaign  of 
1776. 


40 

The  close  of  the  Revolution  left  the  society  in  a  greatly 
embarrassed  condition.  During  its  progress  she  had  con- 
tributed freely  of  her  men  and  means,  entering  into  the 
contest  with  such  absorbing  enthusiasm  as  left  no  room 
for  the  consideration  of  private  or  local  interests,  and  at 
its  close  she  found  herself  utterly  prostrated,  her  school 
houses  decayed,  the  education  of  her  sons  neglected,  (says 
Dr.  Nott,  "so  far  as  I  can  recollect,  there  was  .not  a  man 
that  pretended  to  understand  grammar  or  geography,") 
her  farms  run  to  weeds,  and  her  people  heavily  loaded 
with  debt.  At  no  time  in  her  history  had  her  prospects 
been  more  wretched.  A  fortunate  concurrence  of  circum- 
stances, however,  soon  placed  her  upon  her  feet,  and 
restored  her  wonted  prosperity.  In  1782,  Rev.  Samuel 
Nott,  at  the  unanimous  request  of  both  church  and 
society,  was  settled  as  their  pastor.  Mr.  Nott  was  a  wise, 
judicious  man,  eminently  fitted  to  harmonize  any  discord- 
ant feeling  which  might  exist,  and  fitted  by  his  energy  to 
infuse  fresh  life  into  the  prevailing  stagnation.  Another 
happy  event  was  the  incorporation  of  the  West  and  Eighth 
societies  as  a  separate  town,  which  severed  the  connection 
of  West  Farms  with  Norwich,  and  ensured  a  more  efficient 
management  of  local  affairs  than  they  had  before  received. 
Perhaps  too  much  praise  cannot  be  bestowed  upon  the 
efforts  of  Rev.  Mr.  Nott  to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  his 
people.  Scrupulously  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  pastoral 
duties,  he  also  did  a  vast  deal  toward  the  education  of  the 
younger  members  of  his  parish,  affording  them  opportuni- 
ties of  which  they  gladly  availed  themselves.  During 
his  long  ministry  more  than  forty  young  men  were  fitted 
for  college  under  his  care,  twenty  of  them  belonging  to 
this  town,  and  "  between  two  and  three  hundred  gentle- 
men,  ladies  or  children  "  were  educated   in  whole  or  in 


4i 

part.*  As  an  instructor,  Dr.  Nott  was  popular  and 
singularly  successful,  and  Franklin  became  the  place 
where  quite  a  galaxy  of  distinguished  men  received  their 
education.  Here  were  gathered  under  his  charge  at 
different  times,  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  President  of  Union 
college,  the  brilliant  but  erratic  General  Wm.  Eaton, 
Lieut.  Gov.  Tracy,  of  New  York,  and  many  others  who 
have  since  achieved  distinguished  success  in  the  different 
walks  of  life.  Though  moving  in  a  humble  sphere,  Dr. 
Nott,  by  means  of  his  teachings  and  wholesome  counsels, 
wielded  a  power  for  good  in  the  land  which  it  has  been 
the  privilege  of  few  to  surpass.  It  was  mainly  due  to  his 
influence  that  the  Franklin  Library  was  established,  in 
1794,  an  institution  which  flourished  for  forty  years  and 
furnished,  for  the  times,  a  good  collection  of  miscellaneous 
works.  Under  these  different  salutary  influences  the 
society  rapidly  retrieved  her  lost  ground,  and  by  the 
beginning  ot  the  present  century  was,  perhaps,  as  flourish- 
ing as  ever. 

During  the  present  century  the  society  has  witnessed 
few  changes.  At  its  commencement  she  had  attained  a 
settled  state,  and  since  then  her  affairs  have  flowed  on 
smoothly  and  prosperously,  but  so  quietly  that  few  marked 
events  arrest  the  attention.  One  after  another,  of  her  ex- 
tended civil  powers  have  dropped  from  her  grasp,  so  that 
she  is  now  a  purely  voluntary  organization,  but  the  loss  is 
more  than  compensated  by  the  steadily  increasing  pros- 
perity of  her  community,  and  we  may  safely  say  that  her 
condition  was  never  more  hopeful  than  to-day.  The  lib- 
erality of  former  members  and  friends  has  also  helped  to 
to  build  up  her  walls,  and  we  cannot  pass  on  without  a 
tribute  to  their  memory.    Deacon  Dyer  McCall  died  May 

*  Dr.  Nott's  Half  Century  Sermon. 


42 

19th,  1838,  crowning  a  life  of  benevolence  by  bequeath- 
ing the  bulk  of  his  fortune  to  various  charitable  organiza- 
tions, of  which  this  society  was  the  recipient  of  one 
quarter,  a  sum  amounting  to  Two  Thousand  dollars. 
Eleven  years  later  his  wife,  Lucy,  dying,  added  a  similar 
sum  to  the  fund  of  the  society.*  In  1838,  also,  Miss 
Velina  Sanford  bequeathed  her  entire  estate  to  the  society, 
thereby  adding  another  thousand  to  its  funds.  In  1863, 
Ezra  Chappel,  Esq.,  of  New  London,  a  gentleman  of  whole- 
souled  benevolence,  generously  stayed  our  hands  in  a  time 
of  difficulty  by  contributing  Fifteen  Hundred  dollars  for 
building  purposes.  In  this  connection  we  cannot  omit  to 
mention  David  Edgerton  who  died  in  1768,  leaving  all 
his  real  estate  forever  to  be  improved  for  schooling  youth 
in  this  society  to  the  latest  generation.  Mr.  Edgerton 
was  a  strong  pillar  of  the  society  in  his  own  day,  and  the 
rich  blessings  flowing  from  his  gift  are  a  proud  monument 
to  the  wisdom  and  foresight  of  the  giver.  Joshua  Abel 
was  another  donor  to  the  society,  he  having  given  the 
ground  on  which  our  first  three  churches  stood.  Let  us 
ever  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the  memory  of  these 
different  benefactors,  the  fruits  of  whose  benevolence  we 
enjoy  to-day,  and  whose  charity,  the  noblest  of  all  human 
qualities,  certainly  entitles  them  to  the  highest  place  in 
our  calendar. 

But  the  different  churches  afford  the  surest  landmarks 
for  denoting  the  successive  epochs  of  our  history.  The 
second  church,  erected  in  1745,  battled  from  its  bleak 
eminence  with  storms  and  winds  for  nearly  a  century,  but 
finally  had  to  yield,  and,  in  1836,  gave  way  to  a  more 
modern  structure,  located  midway  between  the  places  of 


*  This  1  idy  also   made  a  small   bequest  for  the  support  of  the  poor  of  the 
church. 


43 

the  first  and  second  churches.  This  third  church  had  barely 
attained  a  quarter  of  the  age  of  its  predecessor,  when  in 
its  turn  it  had  to  make  way  for  the  fourth  church,  the  one 
in  which  we  are  at  present  assembled,  and  which  was 
erected  in  1863,  a  short  distance  below  the  location  of  the 
other  churches.  The  same  year  the  society  was  enabled, 
by  the  generosity  of  the  late  Edward  Chappel  of  New 
London,  (to  whom  allusion  has  already  been  made),  a  chris- 
tian gentleman  of  unmeasured  benevolence,  and  grand- 
father of  our  present  pastor,  to  erect  a  parsonage.  This 
parsonage  affords  convenient  data  for  locating  our  first 
three  churches.  The  second  church  appears  to  have 
stood  upon  the  exact  location  of  the  parsonage,  the  first 
church  immediately  East,  and  the  third  church  imme- 
diately West. 

We  have  thus  followed  the  history  of  this  community 
from  the  time  when  the  first  settlers  pitched  their  tents  in 
these  valleys,  down  through  two  centuries  to  the  present 
day.  We  have  seen  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness  broken 
by  the  first  log  cabin,  we  have  seen  the  forests  gradually 
recede  before  the  advance  of  civilization,  and  the  rugged 
wildness  of  nature  slowly  exchanged  for  a  more  peace- 
ful beaut)7,  till  at  length  our  hills  have  been  crowned  with 
the  ameliorations  of  progress,  our  valleys  filled  with  the 
hum  of  industry,  and  the  echoes  of  the  war  whoop 
drowned  in  the  shriek  of  the  locomotive  and  the  clatter 
of  machinery. 

Through  all  these  mighty  changes,  this  society  has 
been  working  potently  for  good.  Through  all  these 
years  she  has  kept  a  beacon  fire  alive  upon  this  hill  top, 
and  drawn  up  hither  generation  after  generation,  to  wor- 
ship God.  By  the  inspiration  of  her  presence,  she  has 
made  this  community  ever  a  virtuous,  Heaven-fearing 
people,   and   rendered   those  who  have  gone   forth   from 


44 

here  valiant  to  do  battle  for  the  right.  Surely,  then,  her 
part  has  been  well  done.  Within  her  own  sphere  she  has 
faithfully  discharged  her  duties,  and  who  shall  measure 
her  influence  through  those  sons  reared  up  and  sent  forth 
to  fill  exalted  stations  in  other  and  wider  spheres.  Let  us 
see  to  it  that  she  declines  not  in  our  hands. 


Notes   to   the   Historical   Address. 


Note  A. 
INDIAN  DEED  OF  NORWICH. 

Deed  from  Onkos,  and  his  sons  Oneco  and  Attawanhood,  Sachems  of 
Mohegan,  of  a  tract  of  Land  nine  miles  square,  for  the  settlement  of 
the  town  of  Norwich.      Anno  Domini  1659. 

As  this  Deed  covers  every  foot  of  territory  now  within  the  limits  of 
the  town  of  Franklin,  and  as  portions  of  this  ancient  domain  have 
never  been  alienated,  but  are  still  in  the  occupancy  of  the  descendants  of 
the  original  Proprietors,  it  has  been  deemed  proper  to  insert  it  in  this 
place. 

DEED. 

Know  All  men  that  Onkos,  Owaneco  and  Attawanhood,  Sachems  of 
Mohegan,  have  bargained,  sold  and  passed  over,  and  doe  by  these 
presents,  bargain,  sell  and  pass  over  unto  the  Towne  and  Inhabitants  of 
Norwich,  nine  miles  square  of  lands,  lyeing  and  being  at  Moheagen  and 
the  partes  thereunto  adjoyning,  with  all  ponds,  rivers,  woods,  quarries, 
mines  with  all  Royalties,  privileges  and  appurtenances  thereunto  belong- 
ing, to  them  the  sayd  Inhabitants  of  Norwich,  their  heirs  and  successors 
forever — the  sayd  lands  are  to  be  bounded  as  followeth,  (viz.,)  to  the 
southward  on  the  west  side  (of)  the  Great  River  commonly  called  Mon- 
heag  River,  ye  line  is  to  begin  at  the  Brooke  falling  into  the  head  of 
Trading  Cove,  and  soe  to  run  west  norwest  seven  miles ; — from  thence 
the  line  is  to  run  nor-noreast  nine  miles ;  and  on  the  east  side  of  the 
foresayd  River  to  the  southward,  the  line  is  to  joyne  with  New-London 
Bounds  as  it  is  now  laid  out  and  soe  to  run  east  Two  miles  from  the 
foresayd  River,  and  so  from  thence  the  line  is  to  Run  nor-noreast  nine 
miles,  and  from  thence  to  Run  nor-norwest  nine  miles  to  meet  the 
western  line.  In  consideration  whereof  the  sayd  Onkos,  Owaneco,  and 
Attawanhood  doe  acknowledg  to  have  received  of  the  parties  aforesayd, 
the  full  (and  juste)  sum  of  seventy  pounds,  and  doe  promise  and  engage 


46 

ourselves,  heirs  and  successors,  to  warrant  the  sayd  Bargain  and  sale  to 
the  aforesayd  parties,  their  heirs  and  successors  and  them  to  defend  from 
all  ciaimes  or  molestations  from  any  whatsoever.  In  witness  whereof 
wee  have  hereunto  set  our  hands  this  sixth  day  of  June,  Anno  1659. 


Witness  hereunto,   I 


Onkos,  his  l\P    marke. 


John  Mason,        /  Owaneco,  his  c^y  marke. 

Thomas  Tracy.     I 


Attawanhood,  his  <\\    marke 


(This  Deed   is  Recorded  in  the  Country  Booke^  August  20th,  1663  : 

as  Atteste, 

JOHN  ALLYN,  Sec'y.) 


Note  B. 

INDIAN  NAMES. 

Almost  the  only  enduring  memorials  of  the  Aborigines  are  the  few 
geographical  names  which  survived  their  decay,  and  which  still  remain, 
constantly  reminding  us  that  our  streams  and  hills  were  once  the  haunts 
of  a  different  race  of  men.  Too  often  these  names  fall  meaningless 
upon  the  ear,  charming  us  by  their  mellifluence  but  wholly  unintelligible. 
Yet  we  may  be  sure  that  they  were  primarily  significant,  and  in  many 
cases,  like  so  much  else  in  Indian  thought,  the  products  of  bright  fancies, 
so  that,  could  we  once  arrive  at  their  hidden  meaning,  its  poetry  would 
often  prove  delightful  and  offer  pleasant  glimpses  into  that  form  of  so- 
ciety of  which  they  are  the  only  remnants. 

But  the  difficulties  in  the  way  are  very  great.  The  early  scribes 
wrote  Indian  as  lawlessly  as  they  wrote  English,  and  unquestionably  our 
pronunciation  of  many  names  of  places  is  very  different  from  the  Indian 
pronunciation.  They  are  clipped  at  one  end  or  both, — anglicized  or 
euphonized — until  their  identity  is  sometimes  quite  lost.  To  decipher 
the  meaning  of  confused  words  in  a  dead  and  but  imperfectly  recorded 
language  is  surely  no  easy  or  certain  task.  Thus  premising,  we  offer  the 
following  suggestions  upon  the  Indian  Names  in  this  vicinity.* 

*  For  these  suggestions  the  writer  is  indebted  to  Hon.  J.  Hammond  Trum- 
bull, of  Hartford,  a  gentleman  who  has  given  much  time  and  talent  to  the 
study  of  the  Indian  language,  and  who  is  our  best  authority  in  all  questions 
pertaining  to  it. 


47 

1.  Shetucket.  The  termination  shows  this  to  be  the  name  of  a  place, 
not  of  the  river.  In  the  old  records  it  is  sometimes  written  Sho7vtackett 
(Conn.  Col.  Records,  iii,  479)  and  Showattukket.  In  Owaneco's  Res- 
ervation, (1669),  "  Shawtuck  river  "  is  named.  Shaivtuck — et  is '  on  ' 
or  '  near  '  the  Shawtuck.  Tuk  signifies  'river.'  The  first  syllable, 
Shaw  or  She,  means  either  'three''  or  'between.''  It  is  impossible  to 
say  which  ;  for  the  form  is  a  corrupt  one, — and  the  two  words  have  in 
Indian  (as  in  many  other  languages)  the  same  radical.  Shetucket 
[She — tuck — et)  signifies  "  at  the  three  rivers,"  (the  place  of  the  three 
rivers),  or  "  at  the  between  rivers  "  (the  place  between  rivers) ;  more 
probably  the  latter.  Either  name  would  be  appropriate,  as  the  reader 
will  perceive. 

Roger  Williams  mentions  the  W  urmashowatuck-oogs,  who  lived  at 
Wurmasht?7i>atuck-gu.t  or,  as  elsewhere  written,  showatuck-gut.  These 
were  "  the  furthermost  Nipnet  men,"  and  lived,  probably,  among 
the  rivers,  or  "  between  the  rivers,"  north  of  the  Massachusetts  line. 
Shetucket  is  with  little  doubt  another  form  of  the  same  name,  in  its 
contract  form. 

2.  Yantic.  Old  forms,  Yantuck,  Yontahque  and  (in  record  of 
Uncas's  deed)  Yomtacke.  We  incline  to  derive  it  from  yan,  '  four  ' 
and  tuk,  '  river ';  but  there  is  nearly  an  equal  probability  that  it  is  from 

Yode,  on,  or  '  at  that  side  ';  the  river  [which  comes  in]  at  that  side, 
[or,  according  to  the  locus  of  the  speaker,  at  this  side]  of  the  main 
river;  i.  e.,  'The  river  from  one  side,'  or  lateral  tributary.  The  mode 
of  entrance  of  this  stream  into  the  Thames  might  very  naturally  suggest 
this  name. 

3.  Susquetomscot.  Otherwise,  Sukskotumskot.  The  two  last  syl- 
lables, omscot,  mean,  certainly,  '  at  the  rock,' — but  the  prefix,  susquet, 
is  doubtful.  This  prefix  qualifies  ompsk  (=omsc,)  'rock.'  For  exam- 
ple, soggohtunkan-ompsk,  the  flint  rock ;  tomheganompsk,  the  axe 
rock  (or  rock  from  which  tomahawks  were  made,)  &c.  But  we  cannot 
fix  confidently  the  meaning  of  susquet  or  sukskot.  The  Susquetomscot 
is  our  wildest  and  rockiest  stream,  and  it  would  be  highly  interesting  to 
know  from  what  circumstance  connected  with  its  rockiness  it  drew  its 
name.  We  naturally  infer  that  the  name  is  in  some  way  connected  with 
the  rocky  gorge  near  the  Peck  Hollow  Railroad  Station. 

4.  Pootapaug  or  Pautipaug.  This  name  was  also  given  to  a  part  of, 
or  place  in,  what  is  now  Essex, — and  is  written  Pauta-,  Porti-  and  Petti- 
-baug,  -pog,  and  -patvag.     Eliot  has  almost  the  exact  word,  pootuppog 


and  pootuppag,  for  '  a  bay,'  in  Joshua  xv  :  2,  5.  The  primary  significa- 
tion seems  to  be,  a  recess  or  '  corner  '  of  water.  Poot  sat  means  a  cor- 
ner, i.  e.,  interior,  not  salient ;  the  space  included.  Literally,  pootup- 
pang,  which  Eliot  translates  '  bay,'  signifies  '  corner-water,'  nearly  equiv- 
alent perhaps  to  our  word  'cove.'  In  Essex  this  name  is  appropriate, 
but  why  it  should  have  been  attached  to  any  portion  of  Franklin  is 
difficult  to  see. 


Note  C. 


The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  Thirty-five  Original  Proprie- 
tors who  settled  Norwich  in  1660. 

These  names  necessarily  occur  so  often  under  note  D,  that  a  pub- 
lished list  will  doubtless  be  found  convenient  for  reference.  When  not 
prefixed  by  an  asterisk,  they  were  surviving  in  January,  in  the  year 
1700. 

Rev.    James    Fitch,    the    first    minister    of 

Norwich, 
*Major  John  Mason,  afterwards   Lt.    Gov. 

of  Connecticut, 
Deacon  Thomas  Adgate, 
Lieut.  William  Backus,  Jr., 
♦Stephen    Backus,    brother    of  Wm.,  Jr., 

above, 
*John  Baldwin, 
♦John  Birchard, 
*Thomas  Bliss, 
Morgan  Bowers, 
*Richard  Edgerton, 
♦Francis  Griswold, 
♦Christopher  Huntington, 
Deacon     Simon     Huntington,    brother 

Christopher,  above, 
♦William  Hyde, 

♦Samuel  Hyde,  son  of  William,  above, 
Lieut.  Thomas  Leffingwell, 
♦Doctor  John  Olmstead, 
John  Post,  son-in-law  of  Wm.   Hyde, 
Thomas  Post, 
John  Reynolds, 
♦Lieut.  Thomas  Tracy, 
Thomas  Bingham,  a  minor  in  1660, 
♦Stephen  Gifford,  a  minor  in  1660, 
♦Thomas  Howard,  a  minor  in  1660, 
John  Tracy,  a  minor  in  1660,    son   of  Lt 

Thomas  Tracy, 
♦Josiah  Reed,  a  minor  in  1660. 


These    settlers     came 
from  Saybrook    and  East 
of    \  Saybrook    (now    Lyme), 
to  Norwich,  Anno  Dom- 
ini 1660. 


49 


*Robert  Allyn, 

*Deacon  Hugh  Calkins, 

*John  Calkins,  son  of  Dea.  Hugh,  above, 

*Jonathan  Royce,  son-in-law  of  Dea.  Hugh 

Calkins, 
*John  Gager, 
*John  Pease, 
*Nehemiah  Smith. 


*John  Bradford, 

*Ensign    Thomas  Waterman,    a  minor  in 
1660. 


These  settlers  came 
from  New  London  to 
Norwich,  Anno  Domini 
1660. 


"|        These     settlers     came 

!  from  Marshfield,    Mass., 

(  to  Norwich,  Anno  Dom- 

J  ini  1660. 


Note  D. 

Brief  notices  of  the  principal  original  settlers  of  West 
Farms,  now  Franklin. 

Abell,  Joshua,  came  hither  from  Dedham,  Mass.,  before  1670.  He 
settled  in  the  valley  east  of  Meeting  House  hill,  and  became  a  very 
considerable  land  holder.  His  dwelling  was  near  the  present  residence 
of  Henry  W.  Kingsley,  but  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  highway. 
The  lot  upon  which  the  first  Meeting  House  was  erected,  and  which  is 
now  connected  with  the  parsonage,  was  a  gift  from  him  to  the  society. 
He  married  Mehetabel,  a  daughter  of  Nehemiah  Smith,  one  of  the 
original  Thirty-Five  (35)  Proprietors  of  Norwich.  He  had  six  daugh- 
ters, several  of  whom  were  married  to  first  comers.  He  died  March  1 7th, 
1724,  in  the  77th  year  of  his  age.  He  left  no  son.  His  brothers  Caleb 
and  Benjamin  came  to  the  Colony  with  him,  but  settled  in  other  parts 
of  Norwich. 

Armstrong,  Benjamin,  son  of  Jonathan  of  Westerly,  R.  I.,  became 
a  settler  in  1682.  His  dwelling  was  nearly  opposite  to  the  entrance  to 
the  lane  leading  to  the  residence  of  Geo.  E.  Starkweather.  He  died 
Jan.   10th,  1717-18,  leaving  sons  Benjamin,   John,  Joseph  and  Stephen. 

John  Armstrong married,  in  1710,  Anne  Worth  and  remained  upon 
the  paternal  homestead,  where  he  had  twelve  children.  His  descend- 
ants have  been  numerous  and  most  of  the  families  in  the  vicinity  bearing 
the  name  are  of  his  line.  He  was  often  entrusted  with  office  in  the 
Society  which  he  always  worthily  filled.      He  died  in  1748. 

Arnold,  John,  was  a  land  holder  both  by  grant  and  purchase,  as  early 
as  1683.       After  a   long  occupancy  he  finally  alienated    his  estate  and 


5o 

removed  to  Windham.  The  "  Arnold  Place  "  afterwards  became  the 
homestead  of  Rev.  Henry  Willes.  It  is  now  occupied  by  Dr.  Stephen 
Sweet. 

Ayer,  John,  born  in  England,  was  brought  to  this  country  while  an 
infant,  in  1630,  by  his  parents,  who  located  at  Haverhill,  Mass.  He 
married,  May  5,  1646,  Sarah  Williams,  of  Haverhill,  and  had  by  her 
five  children.  He  married  for  second  wife,  at  Haverhill,  March  26, 
1663,  Mary  Moodam,  by  whom  he  had  one  child.  Soon  after  his 
second  marriage  he  became  involved  in  serious  personal  difficulties  with 
the  Massachusetts  Indians,  and  to  save  his  life  moved  secretly  and  alone 
to  West  Farms.  The  exact  year  of  his  arrival  is  uncertain,  but  without 
doubt  it  was  as  early  as  1665,  and  he  maybe  safely  called  the  first  white 
settler  of  the  town.  His  location  was  Ayer's  Gap.  Here  he  lived  by 
himself  for  many  years,  pursuing  his  favorite  vocation  of  hunting  and 
trapping  with  great  success.  It  is  said  that  in  the  chase  and  all  the 
mysteries  of  woodcraft,  his  skill  and  sagacity  fully  equalled  that  of  the 
Indians,  between  whom  and  himself  there  was,  indeed,  a  constant  rivalry, 
which  not  infrequently  ripened  into  open  warfare.  Many  are  the  tra- 
ditions of  this  strange  man,  lingering  around  the  scenes  of  his  life,  and 
his  adventures  with  Indians  and  wild  beasts  still  form  the  theme  of 
numerous  stories  related  with  zest  around  the  winter's  fire.  These 
stories,  without  exception,  delineate  him  as  a  man  of  striking  eccentri- 
cities, but  withal,  of  great  endurance,  heroic  fortitude  and  a  rare  presence 
of  mind  that  never  forsook  him  in  time  of  danger. 

Rattlesnakes  were  the  only  foes  whom  John  Ayer  feared.  These 
swarmed  into  his  cabin  in  such  numbers  from  the  surrounding  ledges, 
that  he  was  almost  in  despair,  and  thought  of  abandoning  the  place. 
But  a  friend  in  Massachusetts  urged  him  first  to  try  the  efficiency  of 
hogs  in  destroying  the  reptiles.  Accordingly,  Ayer  procured  several 
hogs  from  the  nearest  settlement,  and  these  soon  effectually  rid  his 
premises  of  his  troublesome  visitors. 

His  son  Joseph,  born  at  Haverhill,  March  16,  1658,  married,  Nov. 
24,  1686,  Sarah  Corliss,  of  Haverhill,  where  he  continued  till  about  the 
year  1700,  when  he  removed  to  West  Farms  to  reside  with  his  father, 
now  well  stricken  in  years,  bringing  with  him  his  youngest  two  sons, 
Joseph  and  Timothy.  The  descendants  of  Mr.  Ayer  still  remain  in 
Franklin. 

Backus,  Lieut.  William,  Jr.,  the  Proprietor,  had  sons  William, 
John,  Joseph  and  Nathaniel. 

Nathaniel  Backus  married  Elizabeth  Tracy  and  settled  at  West  Farms. 


5i 

His  dwelling  was  where  Col.  T.  G.  Kingsley  now  resides.  Jabez,  their 
fourth  child,  born  in  Aug.  1712,  married  Eunice  Kingsbury  and  remained 
upon  the  paternal  homestead.  He  was  the  father  of  Rev.  Charles 
Backus,  D.  D.,  the  acute  and  able  theologian.  The  Rev.  Azel  Backus, 
D.  D.,  first  President  of  Hamilton  College,  also  descended  from  him 
through  his  eldest  son  Jabez,  being  his  grandson. 

Badger,  John,  came  early  to  West  Farms  from  Newbury,  Mass.  His 
place  was  on  Center  Hill  on  the  old  road  leading  north  from  the  resi- 
dence of  the  late  Backus  Smith.  He  had  a  son,  Samuel,  but  the  name 
has  long  been  extinct  in  the  town.  For  site  of  dwelling  see  accompany- 
ing map. 

Barstotv,  Job,  a  son  of  John,  of  Scituate,  Mass,  was  born  March  8, 
1679.  He  came  hither  early  in  life  and  settled  where  Joseph  I.  Hyde 
now  resides.  This  place  had  previously  been  in  the  occupancy  of 
Joseph  Reynolds.  He  married  Rebecca,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Bushnell, 
and' had  sons  Jonathan,  Ebenezer  and  Get-once,  and  daughter  Jerusha. 
His  name  often  appears  upon  the  records  of  the  Society  in  honorable 
relations. 

Bing/iam,  Dea.  Thomas,  an  original  Proprietor  of  Norwich  in  1660, 
and  the  common  ancestor  of  the  Connecticut  families  of  the  name,  was 
the  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Bingham,  of  Sheffield,  England,  and  was 
born  about  1642.  He  married  Mary  Rudd  and  became  an  early 
resident  of  Windham.  His  son,  Thomas,  born  December  11,  1667, 
married  Hannah  Backus  and  succeeded  to  the  privileges  of  his  father  as 
a  proprietor  in  Norwich.  Their  eldest  son  Thomas,  of  the  third  gen- 
eration, born  Nov.  20,  1692,  married  Hannah  Edgerton  and  settled  at 
West  Farms.  His  dwelling  was  located  where  the  late  Tommy  Hyde 
resided.  The  name  is  not  to  be  found  upon  the  records  of  a  later  date 
than  1737. 

Birchard,  John,  was  born  on  the  other  side  of  the  water  in  1628, 
and  emigrated  to  the  New  World  with  his  father,  Thomas  Birchard,  at 
the  age  of  seven  years.  After  residing  successively  at  Hartford  and 
Saybrook,  he  came  to  Norwich  in  1660  as  one  of  the  original  thirty-five 
Proprietors.  He  was  much  esteemed  by  his  fellow  townsmen  and  by  the 
citizens  generally,  serving  as  Town  Clerk,  Justice  of  the  Peace,  Deputy 
to  the  General  Court  and,  for  a  time,  Clerk  of  the  County  Court.  He 
married  Christian  Andrews,  July  1st,  1653,  by  whom  he  had  fourteen 
(14)  children.      He  married  for  a  second  wife  Jane,  the  widow  of  Sam- 


52 

uel  Hyde,  the  Proprietor,  and  became  the  guardian  of  her  minor  chil- 
dren. He  resided  for  a  time  at  West  Farms  upon  the  original  Hyde 
domain  where  O.  L.  Johnson  now  lives.  Fie  subsequently  removed  to 
Lebanon  where  he  died  in  1702. 

Birchard,  James,  son  of  the  above,  was  born  in  Norwich,  July  16th, 
1665.  He  early  became  a  resident  in  West  Farms.  His  dwelling  was 
on  "  Birchard's  Playne  "  a  short  distance  south  of  the  Franklin  Cemetery 
and  upon  the  same  side  of  the  highway.  Public  worship  was  sometimes 
held  at  his  house  on  the  Sabbath,  before  the  completion  of  the  First 
Church.  He  seems  to  have  been  an  estimable  member  of  society.  He 
married  Elizabeth  Beckwith,  by  whom  he  had  ten  children.  His  long 
and  useful  life  was  ended  here,  but  none  of  his  name  or  blood  now  reside 
within  the  limits  of  the  town. 

Crocker,  Samuel,  was  a  son  of  Thomas,  of  New  London,  where  he 
was  born  in  1677.  He  early  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land  of  Capt. 
Joseph  Tracy,  on  Little  Lebanon  hill,  now  Crocker  hill.  His  dwelling 
was  located  upon  the  slope  of  the  hill,  about  midway  from  the  base  to  the 
summit,  upon  the  west  side  of  the  highway.  He  seems  to  have  been  an 
active  and  influential  member  of  the  settlement.  In  1716  he  served 
on  an  important  committee,  and  his  name  often  appeared  upon  the  records 
of  the  society  at  later  dates.  In  1722  he  served  as  a  selectman.  He 
had  children,  Samuel,  John,  Jabez  and  Hannah,  but  his  descendants  of 
the  name  have  long  since  ceased  to  be  residents  of  the  place. 

Downer,  Joseph,  Sen.,  settled  at  West  Farms  before  1700.  His  res- 
idence was  upon  the  old  road  in  the  north  part  of  the  Society,  which  is 
now  discontinued.      For  site  of  dwelling  see  accompanying  map. 

He  had  sons,  Andrew,  Richard  and  Joseph,  who  were  active  at  the 
organization  of  the  Society.  They  all  married  and  probably  all  settled  at 
West  Farms,  where  their  names  are  to  be  found  as  late  as  1737. 

Durkee,  Dea.  John,  son  of  John,  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  was  born  Nov. 
23d,  1689.  He  at  first  settled  at  Gloucester  in  his  native  state,  but  about 
1720  removed  to  West  Farms.  He  purchased  lands  of  John  Waterman, 
Jr.,  upon  Portipaug  hill,  and  his  dwelling  was  located  a  short  distance 
south  of  where  Charles  T.  Hazen  now  lives,  and  upon  the  same  side  of 
the  highway.  His  wife,  Mary,  died  in  1732.  He  married  for  a  second 
wife  in  1738,  Hannah  Adgate. 

In  1735,  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  West  Farms 
church.       His  descendants  have  not  been  numerous. 


53 

Elderkin,  John,  Carpenter  and  Millwright,  we  find  successively  at 
Boston,  Dedham,  New-London,  and  finally  at  Norwich,  in  1664.  He 
was  termed  one  of  the  second  class  of  Proprietors,  and  had  two  home 
lots  granted  to  him. 

John  Elderkin,  Jr.,  eldest  son  of  the  above,  early  became  a  settler 
upon  the  west  bank  of  the  Shetucket  river  near  Lord's  (then  Elderkin's) 
Bridge,  and  his  dwelling  was  located  upon  the  precise  spot  that  is  now 
occupied  by  the  large  boarding  house  of  the  Messrs.  A.  &  W.  Sprague, 
in  the  village  of  Baltic.  He  was  the  proprietor  of  the  saw  and  grain 
mills  near  by.  He  often  acted  officially  in  the  new  society,  and  was 
particularly  designated  to  direct  in  the  layout  of  suitable  highways  or 
roads  from  the  outskirts  of  the  settlement  to  the  church.  The  name 
long  since  disappeared  from  our  records. 

Edgerton,  Samziel,  was  the  third  son  and  fifth  child  of  Richard, 
another  of  the  Thirty-Five  Proprietors  of  Norwich.  He  was  born  in 
May,  1670,  and  probably  settled  at  West  Farms  before  1700.  He 
erected  his  dwelling  where  James  C.  Griswold  now  lives.  He  was  a 
petitioner  for  a  separate  ecclesiastical  organization  in  1716,  and  afterwards 
was  frequently  elected  to  fill  important  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  society. 
In  1703  he  married  Alice  Ripley,  of  Windham.  David,  his  sixth  son, 
born  Aug.  28,  1718,  was  the  founder  of  the  Edgerton  School  Fund. 
For  his  place  of  residence  see  accompanying  map. 

Edgerton,  Joseph,  was  a  younger  brother  of  the  above,  being  the 
fourth  son  of  Richard.  He  also  settled  at  West  Farms  shortly  before 
1700.  His  location  was  upon  Lebanon  Road  and  his  dwelling  was  where 
the  late  Guilbert  Lamb  formerly  resided.  He  was  also  a  petitioner  for  a 
new  ecclesiastical  organization  and  was  often  entrusted  with  office.  He 
married,  in  1 702,  Experience  Pratt,  and  had  several  children.  He  was 
the  ancestor  of  Bela  Edgerton,  Esq.,  and  of  Hon.  Alfred  P.  Edgerton, 
late  member  of  Congress  from  Indiana. 

Fillmore,  Capt.  John,  son  of  John  Fillmore,  "Mariner,"  of  Ipswich, 
Mass.,  was  born  March  18,  1702.  At  an  early  age  he  was  apprenticed 
to  a  ship  carpenter  in  Boston,  where,  constantly  meeting  with  seafaring 
men,  he  soon  imbibed  a  longing  for  their  mode  of  life.  After  several 
years  of  pleading  he  at  length  wrung  from  his  mother  a  reluctant  consent, 
and  shipped  in  the  spring  of  1723  for  a  fishing  voyage  upon  the  sloop 
"Dolphin,"  of  Cape  Ann. 

The  following  August  the  "  Dolphin  "  was  surprised  and  captured  off 
Newfoundland  by  the  notorious  pirate,  Capt.  John  Phillips.  One  of  the 
4 


54 

pirate's  crew  happening  to  be  an  old  acquaintance  of  Fillmore,  repre- 
sented to  the  Captain  that  he  would  prove  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the 
crew  if  he  could  be  induced  to  join  them.  Accordingly,  young  Fillmore 
was  taken  oft",  but  promised  his  liberty  after  two  months  of  faithful  service. 
At  the  expiration  of  the  appointed  time,  he  demanded  his  liberty,  which 
was  denied  him  for  some  frivolous  reason.  The  Captain,  however, 
promised  upon  his  honor  to  liberate  him  at  the  end  of  three  additional 
months.  But  at  the  expiration  of  these  months,  Phillips  positively 
refused  to  release  him,  and  Fillmore  determined  to  effect  his  own  escape 
at  the  earliest  opportunity. 

One  night,  about  nine  months  after  his  capture,  the  pirates  had  a  grand 
carousal  and  retired  at  a  late  hour.  This  seemed  a  favorable  opportunity, 
and  Fillmore  determined  to  secure  posession  of  the  ship  with  the  assist- 
ance of  three  fellow  prisoners,  one  of  whom,  however,  was  overcome 
with  fear  at  the  decisive  moment,  so  that  but  three  individuals  were  left 
to  cope  with  the  entire  crew.  They  knew  that  the  pirates  after  their 
drinking  would  not  rise  till  late  in  the  morning,  and  made  their  arrange- 
ments to  attack  them  when  they  should  first  come  upon  deck,  making  use 
of  the  carpenter's  tools  for  weapons.  About  noon  the  Captain,  Master, 
Boatswain  and  Quartermaster  came  upon  deck.  Soon  the  Master  pro- 
ceeded to  take  an  observation,  the  Captain  and  Boatswain  engaged  in 
conversation  and  the  Quartermaster  returned  to  the  cabin.  Now  was 
the  moment.  The  three  officers  upon  deck  are  felled  by  unexpected 
blows,  and  the  Quartermaster  rushing  from  the  cabin  meets  a  similar  fate. 
The  officers  being  thus  disposed  of  it  is  a  comparatively  easy  matter  to 
compel  the  surrender  of  the  crew  who  are  still  all  below. 

The  vessel  was  taken  direct  to  Boston  by  this  little  band  of  heroes, 
where  they  arrived  May  3,  1724.  The  crew  were  convicted  of  piracy  by 
a  court  of  admiralty.  This  court  presented  Mr.  Fillmore  with  a  gun, 
silver  hiked  sword  and  curious  tobacco  box  which  belonged  to  Captain 
Phillips,  and  also  with  the  silver  shoe  and  knee  buckles,  and  two  gold  rings 
which  he  used  to  wear.  These  trophies  of  a  worthy  ancestor  are  still 
preserved  among  his  descendants. 

Mr.  Fillmore  never  returned  to  the  sea.  He  married,  Nov.  24,  1724, 
Mary  Spiller,  of  Ipswich,  and  removed  to  Norwich  West  Farms.  Here 
he  continued  to  reside  through  a  long  life,  strong  in  the  confidence  of  his 
townsmen.      He  died  Feb.  22,  1777. 

Gager,  John,  the  Proprietor,  was  the  son  of  Dr.  William  Gager,  who 
came  to  this  country  with  Gov.  Winthrop  in  1630,  and  died  the  same 
year.  John  Gager,  the  original  Proprietor  as  above,  had  sons  John  and 
Samuel,  besides  six  daughters.     John,  the  eldest  son,  died  without  issue. 


55 

Samuel  removed  to  New  Concord.  John,  the  eldest  son  of  Samuel, 
settled  at  West  Farms,  and  his  dwelling  was  where  Henry  L.  M.  Ladd 
now  resides.  He  married  Jerusha,  a  daughter  of  Job  Barstow,  and  has 
had  a  good  number  of  descendants  who  have  been  useful  and  reliable 
members  of  society. 

Griswold,  Samuel,  son  of  Capt.  Samuel,  and  grandson  of  Lieut. 
Francis  Griswold,  an  original  Proprietor  of  Norwich,  was  born  about 
1689.  When  a  young  man,  he  settled  in  the  eastern  section  of  West 
Farms  in  what  is  now  the  village  of  Baltic,  and  his  dwelling  was  located 
where  the  Baltic  House  now  stands.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  late 
Caleb  Griswold. 

Hartshorne,  Dea.  David,  was  the  sixth  son  of  Thomas,  of  Reading, 
Mass.,  where  he  was  born  Oct.  18,  1657.  He  married,  1680,  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  John  Batchelor,  and  had  four  sons  and  one  daughter.  His 
latest  residence  in  the  Bay  State  was  at  Medfield.  He  purchased  lands 
at  West  Farms  in  1697,  of  Ensign  Thomas  Waterman,  and  removed 
thither  soon  afterwards.  His  place  of  residence  was  where  Geo.  E. 
Starkweather  now  lives.  He  was  one  of  the  original  deacons  of  the  church, 
selectman  in  1709,  and  foremost  in  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs  till  his 
death,  in  1738.  His  descendants  have  been  numerous  and  respectable. 
Of  their  number  may  be  mentioned  the  brave  Capt.  Asa  Hartshorne,  who 
was  slain  at  the  battle  of  the  Miamis,  Aug.  20,  1794.      See  Note  G. 

Hartshorne,  Jonathan,  was  an  elder  brother  of  the  above,  and  they 
accompanied  each  other  to  the  new  settlement.  His  place  of  residence 
was  upon  the  old  Windham  road  where  Horatio  Hyde  now  lives.  His 
name  often  appears  upon  the  records  of  the  society  in  connection  with 
official  trusts.  The  late  Dr.  Elijah  Hartshorne  was  one  of  his  descend- 
ants. 

Hazen,  Lieut.  Thomas,  emigrated  from  Boxford,  Mass.,  to  West 
Farms  near  the  commencement  of  the  last  century,  and  settled  upon  the 
place  which  is  now  in  the  occupancy  of  E.  P.  Ladd,  and  which  was  held 
and  improved  by  his  descendants  for  several  generations,  and  which  has 
been  but  recently  alienated.  He  was  one  of  the  Society  Committee  in 
1716,  and  frequently  held  office  thereafter.  At  this  period,  men  of  ma- 
ture years  and  ripe  experience  had  the  preference  for  important  official 
positions. 

His  wife  Mary  died  in  1727,  and  he  himself  eight  years  later.  He 
now  has  descendants  in  the  place  and  vicinity. 


56 

Huntington,  Christopher,  one  of  the  original  Thirty-Five  Proprietors 
of  Norwich,  was  born  in  England  about  1630,  and  emigrated  to  this 
country  with  his  parents  a  few  years  later.  He  was  a  son  of  William 
and  a  grandson  of  Simon  Huntington  and  Margaret  Baret.  He  married, 
1652,  Ruth  Rockwell  of  Windsor,  and  Christopher,  his  fourth  child  was 
born  Nov.  1,  1660.      This  was  the  first  male  child  born  in  Norwich. 

Christopher,  son  of  the  first  born  male  of  Norwich  and  grandson  of 
Christopher  the  Proprietor,  settled  at  West  Farms  upon  domain  now  in 
the  occupancy  of  Azariah  Huntington,  his  great-grandson.  He  was  a 
pillar  in  the  church  and  society  in  his  day.  Several  of  his  descendants 
have  held  official  positions  in  the  church.  Rev.  Asahel,  of  Topsfield, 
Mass.,  the  father  of  Judge  Huntington  of  Salem  was  of  his  line  of 
descent. 

Hyde,  Samuel,  another  of  the  Thirty-five  Proprietors,  was  the  only 
son  of  William,  also  a  Proprietor,  and  was  born  at  Hartford  in  1636. 
He  married,  1659,  Jane,  daughter  of  Thomas  Lee,  of  East  Saybrook, 
now  Lyme,  and  in  the  month  of  August  of  the  year  following,  had 
daughter  Elizabeth,  who  was  the  first  female  child  born  in  Norwich  of 
English  descent.  Shortly  afterward  she  removed  to  West  Farms,  where, 
probably,  his  six  remaining  children  were  all  born.  He  settled  in  the 
valley  east  of  Meeting  House  hill  and  his  dwelling  was  upon  the  site 
where  O.  L.  Johnson,  one  of  his  descendants,  now  lives.  He  died  in 
1677. 

Hyde,  John,  second  son  of  the  above,  born  at  West  Farms  1667. 
Married  Experience  Abell  and  settled  at  Wawekus  Hill.  But  his  fourth 
son,  Capt.  Matthew  Hyde  married  Elizabeth  Huntington  and  returned 
to  West  Farms  which  became  permanently  his  place  of  residence.  For 
site  of  his  dwelling  see  accompanying  map. 

His  descendants  have  been  numerous  and  respectable.  The  late  Rev. 
Eli  Hyde  was  of  the  number. 

Hyde,  Thomas,  fourth  son  of  Samuel,  born  at  West  Farms  in  July, 
1672,  married  Mary  Backus  and  remained  upon  the  paternal  homestead. 
He  was  familiarly  called  the  First  Thomas  Hyde.  His  eldest  son  born 
in  1699  the  Second,  and  Capt.  Thomas,  firstborn  of  the  "second'" 
Thomas,  and  father  of  the  late  Jared  Hyde,  the  Third  Thomas  Hyde. 
He  was  a  useful  member  of  society  and  his  descendants  have  been  nu- 
merous and  highly  respectable.  Of  some  of  the  more  distinguished  may 
be  mentioned  the  names  of  Rev.  Alvan  Hyde,  D.  D.,  of  Rev.  John 
Hyde,  of  Rev.  Lavius  Hyde  and  of  the  Hon.  E.  H.  Hyde,  present 
Lieut.  Gov.  of  the  State. 


57 

Hyde,  Capt.  Jabez,  the  fifth  and  youngest  son  of  Samuel,  was  born  at 
West  Farms,  1677.  He  married  Elizabeth,  youngest  daughter  of  Captain 
Richard  Bushnell,  and  had  his  dwelling  at  the  foot  of  Crocker  Hill  upon 
Lebanon  road,  where  Dwight  Fargo  now  resides.  He  was  the  first  Clerk 
of  the  society,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office  for  a  long  term  of  years. 
He  was  also  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  represented  the  town  of  Norwich 
thirteen  sessions  in  the  Colonial  Legislature.  He  was  the  owner  of  a 
large  landed  estate  and  was  accounted  a  prosperous  farmer.  He  died 
Sept  5,  1762.  His  descendants  have  been  numerous  and  have  filled  an 
important  place  in  society  here  and  elsewhere.  The  late  Judge  John 
Hyde,  and  Lewis  Hyde,  Esq.,  both  of  Norwich,  were  of  his  line  of 
descent. 

Johnson,  John,  was  at  West  Farms  as  early  as  1677.  His  place 
was  in  "  Lebanon  Valley,"  and  his  dwelling  upon  the  site  now  occupied 
by  the  mansion  of  Bela  T.  Hastings.  William  and  Ebenezer  were 
probably  his  sons,  and  Dea.  Isaac  Johnson  was  his  grandson.  His  de- 
scendants, though  not  numerous,  have  filled  no  unimportant  place  in 
society. 

Kingsbury,  Dea.  Joseph,  came  early  from  Haverhill,  Mass.,  to  West 
Farms,  with  wife  Love  (Ayer)  and  sons  Joseph  and  Ephraim.  He  erected 
his  dwelling  upon  Middle  of  Center  Hill  on  domain  that  has  never  been 
alienated  by  his  descendants  of  the  name.  He  was  chairman  of  the 
meeting  at  which  the  society  was  organized  in  1716,  and  was  chosen  one 
of  the  first  deacons  of  the  church  two  years  later.  He  died  in  1741.  His 
son,  Capt.  Joseph  Kingsbury,  succeeded  him  as  an  officer  of  the  church 
in  1735,  and  also  held  other  important  trusts,  being  selectman  in  1723, 
and  a  representative  to  the  General  Court  five  sessions,  from  1731  to 
1742.  He  married  Ruth  Dennison,  who,  at  the  time  of  her  decease  at 
the  age  of  93  years,  left  231  descendants. 

The  descendants  of  Joseph  Kingsbury,  Sen.,  have  been  numerous  and 
have  done  not  a  little  to  shape  the  history  of  the  town.  Andrew,  of 
Hartford,  for  a  long  time  State  Treasurer,  and  the  late  Col.  Jacob,  of 
Franklin,  and  Judge  John,  of  Waterbury,  were  of  the  number. 

Ladd,  David,  was  an  early  settler  and  resided  upon  Pleasure  Hill  on 
the  same  premises  that  were  owned  and  occupied  till  very  recently  by 
his  descendant,  Joseph  D.  Ladd.  He  married  Mary  Waters  and  had 
sons,  Samuel,  Ezekiel  and  Joseph. 

Ladd,  Nathaniel,  was  also  an  early  settler  and  resided  upon  the  place 
lately  occupied  by  Benjamin  Blackman.       He  was  an  individual  of  con 


58 

siderable  prominence  in  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs,  having  served  as 
selectman  in  1721  and  having  been  chosen  to  important  offices  in  the 
society.  He  married  and  had  several  children  born  here,  but  ceased  to 
be  a  resident  about  1728.  This  place  was  subsequently  owned  and 
improved  by  David  Ladd,  probably  a  brother  of  Nathaniel. 

Lathrop,  Israel,  third  son  of  Samuel,  who  emigrated  to  Norwich  as 
one  of  the  second  class  of  Proprietors  in  1668,  and  grandson  of  Rev. 
John,  an  Independent  minister  in  London,  and  afterwards  in  Scituate 
and  Barnstable,  had  seven  sons  who,  according  to  tradition,  settled  upon 
seven  hills. 

William  Lathrop,  second  son  of  Israel,  settled  on  Plain  Hill  and  had 
ten  sons.  The  late  Jesse  Lathrop  of  this  place  was  his  grandson.  John 
L.  Motley,  the  Historian,  descended  from  him  through  Rev.  John 
Lathrop,  D.  D.,  of  Boston. 

Serj.  Israel  Lathrop,  Jr.,  another  son  of  Israel,  came  to  West 
Farms  early  and  settled  upon  Blue  Hill.  His  dwelling  was  upon  the 
eastern  declivity  of  the  hill.  For  its  particular  site  see  accompanying 
map. 

Capt.  John  Lathrop,  also  son  of  Israel,  Sen.,  settled  early  upon 
Meeting  House  Hill.  His  dwelling  was  near  the  present  residence  of 
Joseph  A.  Griffin.  Clergymen  and  distinguished  individuals  from 
abroad  were  often  his  guests  during  their  temporary  sojourn  in  the  place. 

The  names  of  Serj.  Israel,  Jr.,  and  Capt.  John  Lathrop  often  appear 
upon  the  records  of  the  Society,  which  would  indicate  that  they  ren- 
dered important  services  which  were  duly  appreciated. 

Those  bearing  the  name  of  Lathrop  in  this  vicinity  at  this  day,  de- 
scended from  William  and  Israel,  Jr. 

Mason,  Jeremiah,  son  of  David  and  Dorothy  (Hobert)  Mason, 
grandson  of  Lieut.  Daniel,  and  great-grandson  of  the  famous  Major 
John  Mason,  early  settled  at  West  Farms  upon  lands  bordering  upon 
Lebanon.  This  estate  is  still  in  the  name,  and  his  dwelling  was  upon 
the  same  site  if  it  is  not  the  same  structure  that  is  now  occupied  by  his 
lineal  descendant,  James  F.  Mason.  His  name  often  appears  upon  the 
records  and  always  in  relations  that  would  show  him  to  be  a  leading 
man.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  late  Hon.  Jeremiah  Mason,  United 
States  Senator  from  New  Hampshire. 

Mosely,  Increase,  was  an  early  settler  at  West  Farms.  He  probably 
resided  where  the  tenant  house  of  John  Frink  now  stands.     He  was  one 


59 

of  the  petitioners  for  a  society  organization  in  1716,  and  his  name  there- 
after occasionally  appears  upon  the  early  records.  He  died  in  1731. 
Had  a  son  Increase,  born  in  1712,  who  married  Deborah  Tracy,  of 
Windham,  and  removed  to  Woodbury  about  1740  where  he  became  a 
distinguished  civilian.  Also  had  a  son  Peabody,  born  in  1724,  who 
married  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Captain  Jacob  Hyde,  and  became 
a  Baptist  clergyman.  His  field  of  labor  was  first  at  Norwich.  He 
afterwards  preached  at  Mansfield  and  Granby  in  this  State.  About  the 
year  1780  he  joined  the  society  of  Shakers  at  New  Lebanon,  New  York. 

Peck,  Benjamin,  was  a  descendant  of  Henry,  of  New  Haven,  and 
came  hither  before  1700.  His  dwelling  was  where  the  house  of  H.  H. 
Willes  now  stands.  The  stated  worship  on  the  Sabbath  was  held  at 
Benjamin  Peck's  house  in  the  winter  and  at  his  barn  in  the  summer, 
till  the  first  church  was  ready  for  use. 

In  1720  the  Society  "Voted  Benjamin  Peck  15  shillings  for  half  an 
acre  of  land  on  Birchard's  Playne,  where  he  buried  his  daughter  Eliza- 
beth, for  a  Burying  Place."  This  early  action  of  the  Society  resulted 
in  the  permanent  location  of  the  Franklin  Cemetery,  which  has  been 
twice  enlarged  since.  The  selection  proved  to  be  most  judicious.  He 
died  in  1742.  His  offspring  has  been  somewhat  numerous — the  late 
Capt.  Bela  Peck,  of  Norwich,  being  of  the  number. 

Pember,  John,  was  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Agnes  Pember,  of  New 
London,  where  he  was  born  in  1698.  He  married,  1716,  Mary, 
daughter  of  the  First  Thomas  Hyde.  He  became  the  first  sexton  at 
West  Farms.  This  office  was  successively  filled  by  his  descendants  for 
several  generations.  His  dwelling  was  where  Col.  G.  Pendleton  now 
resides.  He  died  in  1783.  Although  his  descendants  have  not  been 
numerous,  the  name  is  still  to  be  found  in  the  town. 

Pettis,  Samuel,  was  an  early  settler  on  Blue  Hill.  His  descendants 
have  successivaly  improved  the  same  estate  till  recently.  The  late 
Peter  Pettis,  who  inherited  both  the  homestead  and  the  peculiarities  of 
his  ancestor,  was  the  last  to  bear  the  name. 

Reynolds,  Joseph,  son  of  Joseph  and  grandson  of  John,  the  Proprie- 
tor, was  an  early  settler  at  West  Farms,  and  had  his  dwelling  where 
Joseph  I.  Hyde  now  resides.  He  married  in  1717,  Hannah  Bingham. 
In  1723  he  served  as  a  member  of  the  Prudential  Committee  of  the 
Society  but  soon  afterwards  alienated  his  estate  to  Job  Barstow,  and  the 
name  disappeared  from  the  records. 


6o 

Rood,  Micah,  the  youngest  son  of  Thomas  Rood,  who  was  an  early 
settler  upon  the  east  side  of  the  Shetucket,  removed  in  1699  to  West 
Farms,  and  located  in  Peck.  Hollow.  Micah  had  upon  his  farm  an 
apple  tree  which  bore  large,  fair  fruit,  but  always  with  a  red  globule, 
like  a  clot  of  blood,  near  the  center  of  each  apple.  The  apple,  which 
has  become  a  great  favorite  in  this  vicinity,  and  is  called  the  Mike  apple, 
from  its  originator,*  still  retains  this  peculiarity  and  is  the  object  of 
much  curious  inquiry.  The  drop  of  blood  invariably  found  in  every 
apple  is  a  standing  wonder  in  childhood's  days,  and  the  story  of  its 
origin  handed  down  from  father  to  son  for  over  a  hundred  years,  has  at 
length  grown  to  be  a  fixed  tradition,  implicitly  received.  As  the  story 
runs,  a  pedlar  entered  town,  vending  such  costly  and  luxurious  wares  as 
had  never  before  been  seen  in  the  settlement.  The  simple  Micah, 
dazzled  by  the  display,  invited  the  pedlar  to  his  house,  and  at  an  evil 
moment  plunged  a  knife  to  his  heart  beneath  this  very  tree,  so  that 
his  life  blood  flowed  down  and  mingled  with  its  roots.  The  next 
spring  its  blossoms  changed  from  snowy  white  to  red,  and  in  August 
when  the  apples  came  tumbling  down,  large  and  yellow  and  juicy,  hor- 
ror of  horrors,  there  hung  in  every  one  a  drop  of  blood.  There  they  lay 
before  the  terrified  Micah,  the  evidences  of  his  now  never  to  be  forgot- 
ten deed.  With  nature  in  springtime  and  autumn  so  strangely  promp- 
ting the  goadings  of  his  conscience,  who  shall  wonder  that  the  simple- 
hearted  Micah  should  change  into  a  morose  and  melancholy  man,  and 
lead  an  accursed  life  ?  Such  was  the  fact.  Time  went  for  naught  but 
the  memory  of  his  crime,  business  was  neglected,  and  soon  from  a  pros- 
perous farmer  he  became  a  pauper,  dependent  upon  the  charities  of  the 
community.  In  1717  he  was  glad  to  increase  his  slender  means  by 
assuming  charge  of  the  meeting  house,  receiving  therefor  a  peck  of  corn 
yearly  from  each  family  in  the  society,  f 

Of  his  last  years  and  pauper's  death  the  records  tell  briefly  but  sig- 
nificantly : — 

July  5,  1727.  The  inhabitants  do  now,  by  their  vote,  agree  to  allow 
to  each  man  that  watches  with  Micah  Rood,  two  shillings  per  night. 
Also  to  those  who  have  attended  sd  Rood  by  day,  three  shillings  per  day. 

December  17,  1728.  To  Jacob  Hyde  for  digging  Micah  Rood's 
grave,  £0,  4s,  od. 


*  Thirty  years  ago  it  was  called  indifferently  the  Alike,  or  the  Rood  apple, 
but  now  the  former  name  has  generally  obtained. 

f  October  ye  first  day,  1717.  Ye  society  agreed  by  their  vote  yt  each 
family  shall  give  Micah  Rood  a  Peck  of  Corn  for  sweeping  ye  Meeting  House 
one  year. 


6i 

In  face  of  the  facts,  who  shall  pronounce  the  story  of  Micah  Rood  a 
fiction,  or  think  it  too  strange  that  Nature  should  thus  record  her  horror 
of  human  crime  ? 

Rudd,  Serf.  Nathaniel,  was  a  son  of  Jonathan,  of  Saybrook.  He 
early  settled  at  West  Farms,  and  his  dwelling  was  on  the  Portipaug 
Road  a  short  distance  north  of  Smith's  Corners.  He  was  chairman 
of  the  first  committee  elected  by  the  society  after  its  organization,  and 
besides,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  civil  affairs  of  the  settlement. 
By  first  marriage  in  1685  to  Mary  Post,  he  had  son  Jonathan  and  three 
daughters.  By  second  marriage  in  1705-6  to  Abigail  Hartshorne,  had 
son  Nathaniel  and  other  children.      He  died  in  1727. 

Rudd,  Jonathan,  eldest  son  of  the  above,  was  born  at  West  Farms, 
May  22,  1693.  He  married,  Oct.  27,  1720,  Joanna  Gregory  of  Strat- 
ford, and  had  five  children.  His  name  often  occurs  upon  the  records 
of  the  society  in  official  relations.  His  almost  life-long  residence  was 
in  a  rural  situation  on  the  hill  in  a  north-westerly  direction  from  that  of 
his  father.  He  died  in  1772.  Five  years  afterwards  his  late  dwelling 
was  used  as  a  pest  house  where  soldiers  from  the  army  were  inoculated 
and  treated  for  small  pox.  It  was  then  that  his  son  Jonathan,  at  the 
time  the  occupant  of  the  premises,  fell  a  victim  to  that  disease. 

It  was  in  this  secluded  retreat,  with  wild  surroundings,  that  the  young 
and  talented  Ebenezer  Hartshorne  first  met  the  amiable  and  accomplished 
Miss  Miriam  Gregory,  of  Stratford,  whom  he  afterwards  wedded  and 
with  whom  he  lived  for  a  period  of  sixty-five  years  in  the  enjoyment  of 
domestic  bliss  unalloyed.  Their  early  and  romantic  correspondence  is 
still  extant. 

Rudd,  Nathaniel,  Jim.,  son  of  Serj.  Nathaniel,  had  his  dwelling 
where  John  Q.  Cross  now  lives.  He  married,  Dec.  22,  1730,  Mary 
Backus,  and  had  a  numerous  family  of  children. 

Sabin,  Capl.  John,  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Conn.,  1696.  He  came  to 
West  Farms  soon  after  the  organization  of  the  society,  and  had  his  res- 
idence where  John  Frink  now  lives.  He  acted  a  prominent  part  in  civil 
and  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  his  time.  His  death  occurred  March  28, 
1742.      He  was  a  maternal  ancestor  of  Hon.  L.  F.  S.  Foster. 

See  Physicians,  Note   G. 

Sluman,  Thomas,  son  of  Thomas  and  Sarah  (Bliss)  Sluman,  was  an 
ear'y  setter  at  West  Farms,  and  had  his  residence  and  place  of  busines 
near  the  Peck  Hollow   station  on    the  New  London  and  Northern   Rail 


62 

Road,  where  he  had  a  saw  and  corn  mill  for  this  part  of  the  settlement. 
His  name  is  on  the  petition  for  the  organization  of  a  new  society  in 
1716,  and  two  years  later  he  acted  upon  a  committee  which  petitioned 
the  General  Assembly  for  the  organization  of  a  church.  Although  he 
took  an  active  part  in  ecclesiastical  affairs  in  his  day,  the  name  has  long 
since  ceased  to  be  found  upon  the  records. 

Smith,  Serf.  Obadiah,  afterwards  called  Captain,  was  a  son  of  Edward, 
and  a  grand-nephew  of  Nehemiah  Smith,  the  Proprietor.  He  married 
a  daughter  of  Joshua  Abel),  and  early  settled  at  West  Farms.  His 
dwelling  was  where  Edward  A.  Allyn  now  resides.  He  was  one  of  the 
petitioners  for  the  organization  of  a  new  society,  and  a  member  of  the 
first  committee  of  the  society  after  its  organization.  He  was  active  and 
useful  in  the  settlement  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1727,  at  the  age  of 
50  years.  His  descendants,  though  not  numerous,  have  ever  been  found 
in  the  place.  He  was  the  ancestor  of  the  late  Rev.  Joshua  Smith,  and 
of  A.  B.  Smith,  now  Postmaster  of  Franklin. 

Tracy,  Lieut.  Thomas,  the  Proprietor,  came  from  Tewksbury  in  Glou- 
cestershire, to  New  England  in  1636.  After  residing  for  a  short  time  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  he  removed  to  Wethersfield,  Conn.,  and  a  few  years  later 
to  Saybrook.  When  a  resident  at  this  place  in  1645,  he,  with  others, 
relieved  Uncas,  the  Sachem  of  Mohegan,  with  provisions  when  he  was 
besieged  at  Shattuck's  Point  by  Pessechus,  Sachem  of  the  Narragansets ; 
which  led  to  the  subsequent  grant  of  the  town  of  Norwich  in  1659. 
In  1660  he  came  to  Norwich  as  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers.  He  was 
evidently  a  leading  man  in  this  new  locality,  for  in  addition  to  other 
important  appointments  which  he  received,  his  name  is  on  the  roll  of 
the  Legislature  as  a  representative  from  Norwich  at  twenty-seven  sessions. 

By  his  first  marriage  to  the  widow  of  Edward  Mason,  at  Wethersfield, 
he  had  six  sons  and  a  daughter.  He  died  Nov.  7,  1685,  at  the  age  of 
75  years. 

Tracy,  Capt.  John,  eldest  son  of  the  above,  born  about  1643,  was 
also  classed  as  one  of  the  Thirty-five  Proprietors  of  Norwich.  He 
settled  verv  early  at  West  Farms  and  had  his  dwelling  where  the  late 
Almond  Tracy  resided.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  and  represented 
the  town  of  Norwich  six  sessions  in  the  Colonial  legislature.  He 
married,  June  10,  1670,  Mary  Winslow,  a  niece  of  Gov.  Edward 
Winslow  of  Plymouth,  and  had  sons  John,  Joseph  and  Winslow.  He 
died  in  1702,  leaving  an  estate  of  between  three  and  four  thousand 
acres  of  land. 


63 

Tracy,  John,  2d,  eldest  son  of  the  above,  born  1673,  married  Eliza- 
beth Leffingwell,  and  settled  upon  the  paternal  homestead  where  his 
descendants  continue  to  reside  to  the  present  time.  He  was  the  ances- 
tor of  Hon.  Uri  Tracy,  a  member  of  Congress  from  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  of  Hon.  John  Tracy,  for  six  years  Lieut.  Gov.  of  the  same 
state.  Governor  Tracy  was  the  sixth  John  Tracy,  each  of  his  prede- 
cessors of  the  name  representing  a  generation.  These  six  John  Tracys 
were  in  the  line  of  primogeniture,  and  all  natives  of  West  Farms,  except 
the  first,  who  was  the  Proprietor. 

Tracy,  Capt.  Joseph,  second  son  of  John,  the  Proprietor,  was  born 
at  West  Farms,  April  20,  1682,  and  had  his  dwelling  near  the  residence 
of  the  late  J.  W.  Kingsley.  He  was  a  Justice  of  the  Peace  and  repre- 
sentative of  the  town  several  sessions  in  the  Colonial  legislature.  He 
married,  Dec.  31,  1705,  Mary,  daughter  of  Caleb  Abell,  and  had  ten 
children.  His  second  son,  Dr.  Elisha  Tracy,  graduated  at  Yale  college 
in  1738,  became  a  distinguished  physician  and  settled  near  the  Town 
Plot ;  was  the  father  of  the  late  Dr.  Philemon  Tracy  and  the  ancestor 
of  the  Honorables  Phineas  Lyman  Tracy  and  Albert  Haller  Tracy, 
both  of  whom  were  members  of  Congress  from  the  State  of  New  York. 

Tracy,  Serj.  Winslow,  third  son  of  John,  the  Proprietor,  was  born 
at  West  Farms,  Feb.  9,  1689.  He  married  Rachel  Ripley,  and  had  his 
dwelling  upon  Windham  road  a  short  distance  north  of  the  Kingsbury 
mansion.  He  was  a  petitioner  for  a  new  ecclesiastical  organization,  and 
was  for  a  long  time  an  active  and  influential  member  of  society.  Col. 
Uriah  Tracy,  member  of  Congress  and  United  States  Senator  from 
Connecticut,  was  his  grandson. 

Waterman,  Thomas,  the  Proprietor,  was  the  second  son  of  Robert, 
of  Marshfield,  where  he  was  born,  1644.  He  married  Miriam,  daughter 
of  Lieut.  Thomas  Tracy,  and  had  sons  Thomas  and  John.  Thomas, 
the  eldest,  married,  June  20,  1691,  Elizabeth  Allyn,  and  had  seven  sons 
and  two  daughters.  Ensign  Thomas  Waterman,  the  eldest,  settled  at 
West  Farms,  and  had  his  residence  on  the  old  Waterman  road  north- 
west of  the  church.  His  name  often  appears  upon  the  early  records,  and 
his  homestead  was  successively  occupied  by  several  generations  of  his 
descendants,  but  none  of  his  name  or  blood  remain  in  the  place. 

Other  individuals  early  appeared  in  the  settlement  whom  we  have  not 
been  able  definitely  to  locate.  Of  these  we  would  particularly  mention 
William  Moore,  Jonathan  Crain  and  Peter  Cross.  These  persons  were 
at  most  but  temporary  residents.  The  last  two  probably  removed  to 
that  part  of  Windham  which  is  now  Mansfield. 


64 

Thomas  Wood,  the  carpenter,  Jonathan  Roise  (Royce),  John  Harris, 
Ebenezer  Case  and  John  Hutchens  appeared  at  a  later  day.  These 
individuals,  also,  after  a  residence  of  a  few  years,  removed  to  other 
localities. 


Note  E. 

COLLEGE  GRADUATES. 

This  list  is  designed  to  include  the  names  of  those  graduates  of  the 
different  colleges  of  the  country  who  have  been  raised  up  in  Franklin, 
and  who  are  generally  natives  of  the  place.  When  not  to  the  manor 
born,  their  immediate  and  generally  more  remote  ancestors  have  been  so 
identified  with  the  history  of  the  town  as  to  make  it  proper  that  their 
names  should  find  a  place  in  our  catalogue. 

Yale  College. 

1738 — Doctor  Elisha  Tracy, 

1763 — Sanford  Kingsbury, 

1767 — Jonathan  Kingsbury, 

1769 — Reverend  David  Avery, 

1769 — Reverend  Charles  Backus,  D.  D., 

1777 — John  Barker,  M.  D., 

1778 — Honorable  Uriah  Tracy, 

1786 — Reverend  Jonathan  Ellis, 

1786 — Honorable  John  Kingsbury, 

1787 — Reverend  Azel  Backus,  D.  D., 

1  788 — Honorable  Jeremiah  Mason,  LL.  D., 

1789 — Honorable  Uri  Tracy, 

1803 — Reverend  Eli  Hyde, 

1803 — Reverend  John  Hyde, 

1806 — Doctor  John  Hazen, 

1 8  1 5 — Reverend  Elijah  Hartshorne, 

1 8 1  7 — David  Nevins  Lord, 

1819 — Honorable  Asahel  Huntington, 

1833 — Reverend  Joshua  Smith, 

1843 — Reverend  Robert  Palmer  Stanton, 

1846 — Reverend  Joseph  Willes  Backus, 

1  850 — Reverend  George  Sherman  Converse, 

1855 — P.  Henry  Woodward, 

1867— Richard  William  Woodward. 


65 

Dartmouth  College. 

1785 — Reverend  Alvan  Hyde,  D.  D., 
1786 — Reverend  Asahel  Huntington, 
1788 — Reverend  Oliver  Ayer, 
1794 — Reverend  Jabez  Munsell, 
1815 — Elisha   Huntington,  M.  D. 

MlDDLEBURY   COLLEGE. 

1809 — Bela  Edgerton. 

Williams  College. 
1813 — Reverend  Lavius  Hyde. 

Brown  University. 

1795 — Reverend  Eliphalet  Nott,  D.  D.,  LL.D., 
1828 — Honorable  LaFayetteS.  Foster,  LL.D. 

Amherst  College. 
1824 — Reverend  Beaufort  Ladd. 

Union  College. 

1808 — Reverend  Samuel  Nott,  Jr., 
1809 — Reverend  David  Huntington, 
1822 — Reverend  Stephen  Tertius  Nott, 
1831 — Orsamus  H.  Marshall,   A.  M., 
1834 — Reverend  Albert  T.  Chester,  D.  D., 
1846 — Reverend  John  W.  Nott, 
1849 — Anson  Gleason  Chester,  A.  M. 

Note  F. 

A  list  of  the  Clergyman  who  have  been  raised  up  in 
Franklin,  with  brief  sketches  of  some  that  have  deceased. 

Avery,  Rev.  David,  son  of  John  and  Lydia  (Smith)  Avery,  was 
born  at  West  Farms,  April  5,  1746.  He  became  hopefully  pious  at  an 
early  age  under  the  preaching  of  Whitfield,  and  shortly  afterwards  en- 
tered Moor's  Indian  Charity  School  in  Lebanon  with  special  reference 
to  a  collegiate  education.  By  close  application  while  here  he  was 
enabled  to  enter   college  a   year  in  advance,  and  graduated   at  Yale  in 


66 

1769.  While  in  college  he  improved  his  vacations  in  instructing  Indian 
youth  in  various  localities.  His  theological  education  was  under  the 
direction  of  Rev.  Eleazer  Wheelock,  D.  D.,  of  Dartmouth  College. 
This  having  been  completed,  he  was  ordained  as  a  missionary  to  the 
Oneida  Indians,  Aug.  29,  1771.  As  the  result  of  an  accident  he  was 
compelled  to  abandon  this  field  of  labor  and  return  to  New  England. 
Two  years  later,  March  25,  1773,  he  was  installed  at  Gaysboro',  (now 
Windsor,  Vt.,),  and  from  April  18,  1776  to  Feb,  1,  1780,  he  served 
as  a  chaplain  in  the  army. 

After  leaving  the  army  he  lived  and  preached  at  Wrentham,  Mass., 
and  various  other  places,  till  in  1817  he  was  invited  to  settle  at  Middle- 
town,  Va.  On  the  evening  of  a  day  of  fasting,  preparatory  to  his  in- 
stallation, he  was  seized  with  typhus  fever  which  soon  carried  him  off. 
He  married,  Oct.  10,  1782,  Hannah  Chaplain  of  Mansfield,  (now 
Chaplain),  who  with  several  children  survived  him. 

Mr.  Avery  is  said  to  have  been  tall,  portly  and  commanding  in 
appearance,  with  a  prominent  Roman  countenance.  ,  In  his  disposition 
he  was  generous  and  warm  hearted,  being  emphatically  a  gentleman  of 
the  old  school.  He  preached  extemporaneously,  using  at  most  but  short 
notes.  His  language  was  copious  and  difFuse,  his  voice  clear  and  sono- 
rous, and  his  articulation  so  distinct  that  it  was  a  common  saying  in  the 
army  that  every  soldier  in  the  brigade  could  hear  all  that  he  said. 

Ayer,  Rev.  Oliver,  son  of  Joseph,  Jr.,  and  Mary  (Bailey)  Ayer,  was 
born  at  West  Farms,  Nov.  14,  1765.  He  fitted  for  college  under  the 
instruction  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  his  pastor,  and  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth in  1788.  Having  completed  his  theological  course  also  with 
Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  he  was  ordained  at  West  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  May 
29,  1793.  Here  he  remained,  greatly  beloved  by  his  people  till  June 
14,  1807,  when  he  was  dismissed.  He  was  subsequently  settled  at  Au- 
gusta, Richland  and  Sandy  Creek,  all  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
was  everywhere  held  in  esteem  for  his  ministerial  fidelity.  He  died  at 
Richland  in  July,  1832,  at  the  ripe  age  of  6j  years.  While  at  West 
Stockbridge  he  married  Phebe,  a  daughter  of  Elijah  Brown  of  that 
place,  who  survived  him. 

Backus,  Rev.  Azel,  D.  D.,  of  the  sixth  generation  from  William 
Backus,  Sen.,  the  Proprietor,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  October  13, 
1765.  He  was  the  son  of  Jabez,  Jr.,  and  Deborah  (Fanning)  Backus, 
both  of  whom  are  said  to  have  been  persons  of  great  excellence  of 
character.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  only  five  years  of  age,  be- 
bueathed  to  him  a  farm,  which  he  says,  "  I  wisely  exchanged  for  an 
education  in  college."       He  graduated  at  Yale  in   the  class  of  1787. 


$7 

While  in  college  he  had  sceptical  tendencies  ;  but  his  uncle,  Rev. 
Charles  Backus,  D.  D.,  by  his  faithful  efforts  won  him  from  infidelity 
and  reared  him  up  for  the  ministry.  He  was  ordained  April  6th, 
1791,  as  the  immediate  successor  of  Dr.  Bellamy,  at  Bethlehem,  where 
he  not  only  labored  faithfully  as  a  pastor,  but  also  instituted  and  con- 
ducted a  school  of  considerable  celebrity,  at  which  a  large  number  of 
young  men  were  prepared  for  admission  to  college. 

In  Sept.,  1812,  Dr.  Backus  was  elected  first  President  of  Hamilton 
College.  His  mature  experience  in  the  instruction  and  management  of 
young  men  was  doubtless  greatly  auxiliary  to  his  success  in  this  some- 
what similar,  though  more  extensive  field  of  labor. 

He  was  a  man  of  an  original  cast  of  thought,  distinguished  by  sus- 
ceptibility and  ardor  of  feeling  ;  was  possessed,  withal,  of  brilliant  talents 
and  rose  rapidly  in  popular  favor,  for  while  comparatively  a  young  man 
he  was  selected  by  the  senior  Gov.  Oliver  Wolcott  to  preach  the 
annual  election  sermon  before  the  Legisluture  of  Conn.  This  appoint- 
ment was  fulfilled  with  very  marked  ability  in  1798.  In  June,  1808,  he 
was  chosen  moderator  of  the  General  Association  of  Conn.,  and  two 
years  later  he  was  honored  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  from 
the  college  in  New  Jersey. 

Duyckinck  remarks,  that  "  His  biography  remains  to  be  written  in  a 
manner  worthy  of  the  part  which  he  sustained  in  caring  for  the  first 
wants  of  a  college,"  etc.,  and  adds,  that  "A  careful  memoir  written 
somewhat  after  the  manner  of  Xenophon's  Memorabilia,  or  Boswell's 
Johnson,  would  be  welcomed  by  many  readers." 

Dr.  Backus  died  Dec.  9,  1817,  of  typhus  fever,  which  then  prevailed 
in  the  college  and  vicinity.  He  married,  in  1791,  Melicent  Demming, 
of  Wethersfield,  who  with  five  children  survived  him.  His  daughter, 
Mary  Ann,  became  the  first  wife   of  Hon.  Gerret  Smith,  of  Peterboro. 

For  a  list  of  his  publications  reference  may  be  had  to  Dr.  Sprague's 
Annals  of  the  Pulpit,  Vol.  II,  page  283. 

Backus,  Rev.  Charles,  D.  D.,  of  the  fifth  generation  from  William 
Backus,  Sen.,  the  Proprietor,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  Nov.  4,  1749. 
He  was  the  third  son  of  Jabez,  Sen.,  and  Eunice  (Kingsbury)  Backus, 
both  of  whom  he  lost  in  childhood,  but  through  the  assistance  of  friends 
he  was  enabled  to  obtain  a  thorough  classical  education,  and  graduated 
at  Yale  in  1769.  While  in  college  he  had  a  high  reputation  both  for 
scholarship  and  deportment.  Pres't  Dwight,  his  classmate,  said  of  him, 
"I  have  not  known  a  wiser  man."  His  theological  education  was 
under  the  direction  of  Levi  Hart,  D.  D.,  of  Preston.      In  1775  he  was 


68 

ordained  to  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  congregational  church  in  Somers, 
Conn.,  in  which  place  he  remained  till  his  death,  Dec.  30,  1803.  The 
sermon  at  his  ordination  was  preached  by  Rev.  John  Ellis,  of  West  Farms. 

His  high  reputation  as  a  theologian  procured  for  him  invitations  from 
Yale  and  Dartmouth  Colleges  to  occupy  the  chair  of  Theology  in  each 
of  these  institutions.  These  in  each  instance  he  modestly  declined. 
But  his  eminence  as  an  instructor  drew  around  him  many  who  were 
designed  for  the  ministry.  Nearly  fifty  young  men  were  at  different 
times  members  of  his  theological  school.  Among  them  were  Dr. 
Woods,  of  Andover,  Dr.  Hyde,  of  Lee,  Dr.  Cooley  of  Granville, 
Pres't  Moore,  of  Amherst  College  and  many  others  of  nearly  equal  dis- 
tinction. In  1801  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.,  from 
Williams  College.  Shortly  after  his  settlement  at  Somers  he  was  married 
to  Bethia,  daughter  of  Jacob  Hill,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.  Jabez,  their 
only  child,  died  suddenly  while  a  member  of  Yale  College,  March  16, 
1 794,  in  his  seventeenth  year. 

The  publications  of  Dr.  Backus  were  numerous.  From  1785  to 
1798,  he  published  twelve  distinct  sermons,  besides  five  discourses  on 
the  divine  authority  of  the  scriptures,  in  1797.  For  a  more  particular 
description  reference  may  be  had  to  Dr.  Sprague's  Annals,  Vol.  II,  p.  62. 

Backus,  Rev.  Joseph  IV.,  is  now  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
Church  at  Thomaston,  Conn. 

Chester,  Rev.  Albert  T.,  D.  D.,  is  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  ;  resides 
in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  is  Principal  of  a  flourishing  female  academy 
located  in  that  city. 

Converse,  Rev.  George  S.,  is  an  Episcopal  clergyman  and  at  the 
present  time  is  Rector  of  St.  James'  church,  at  Roxbury,  Mass. 

Ellis,  Rev.  Jonathan,  sixth  son  of  Rev.  John  Ellis,  was  born  at 
West  Farms,  April  li,  1762.  He  fitted  fur  college  under  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  father  and  graduated  at  Yale  in  the  class  of  1786.  Devoting 
the  requisite  period  to  a  theological  course  of  reading,  he  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  congregational  church  at  Topsham,  Maine,  in  1789. 
This  connection  continued  till  1810,  when  he  was  dismissed,  and  on 
the  following  year  deposed  from  the  ministry  on  account  of  charges 
against  his  moral  character.  He  was  actively  interested  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  Bowdoin  College  and  a  candidate  for  the  Professorship  of 
Languages,  and  would  probably  have  succeeded  in  securing  the  situation 
except  for  the   "  Harvard  "   influence  which  was  brought  to  bear  upon 


"Z 


<2~- 


■         ^^^ 


69 

the  appointment.  He  was  a  good  linguist  and  quite  a  number  of 
scholars  were  prepared  for  admission  to  college  under  his  instruction. 
It  is  said  that  he  was  also  something  of  a  poet.  He  published  a  eulogy 
in  verse  on  Washington,  delivered  Feb.  22,  1800. 

After  residing  a  few  years  at  Bath,  he  left  his  eastern  home  unaccom- 
panied by  any  member  of  his  family,  and  never  returned.  Previous  to 
1827,  letters  were  occasionally  received  from  him,  but  later  his  family 
had  no  trace  of  his  whereabouts.  For  a  time  he  was  engaged  in  teaching 
in  Pennsylvania,  but  when  last  heard  from  was  in  Delaware.  He 
married,  in  1790,  Mary  Fulton,  of  Topsham,  by  whom  he  had  ten 
children.  She  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  One  son,  Asher  Ellis,  re- 
ceived the  degree  of  M.  D.,  at  Bowdoin  College  in  1832,  and  settled 
at  Brunswick,  Maine.  Another  son,  Rev.  Robert  Fulton  Ellis,  became 
a  Baptist  clergyman. 

Ellis,  Rev.  Stephen,  son  of  Stephen  and  Rebecca  (Huntington) 
Ellis,  was  born  at  Franklin,  April  16,  1801.  At  an  early  age  his  parents 
removed  to  Pennsylvania.  Shortly  afterwards  he  left  his  home  and 
entered  the  school  of  a  maternal  cousin,  Rev.  John  C.  Rudd,  D.  D., 
at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  where  he  remained  as  pupil  and  assist- 
ant teacher  for  about  ten  years.  Having  thus  acquired  a  tolerably 
thorough  preliminary  education,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  theology 
under  the  direction  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman  in  Elizabethtown, 
where  by  close  application  he  made  rapid  progress.  In  1830  he  was 
licensed  by  the  New  London  Association  at  New  London,  and  soon 
thereafter  preached  his  first  sermon  at  Franklin.  After  preaching 
three  years  at  West  StafFord,  Conn.,  where  he  declined  an  invitation  to 
settle  permanently  in  the  ministry,  and  two  or  three  years  in  Susque- 
hanna county,  Pennsylvania,  he  was  finally  ordained  at  Great  Bend, 
Pa.,  in  1836.  After  several  years  of  faithful  service  at  this  place,  he 
removed  to  Delaware  county,  New  York,  first  to  the  town  of  Meredith, 
and  finally  to  the  village  of  Davenport,  where  he  died  Aug.  13,  1848, 
of  dysentery.  He  was  everywhere  esteemed  as  a  faithful  pastor.  He 
also  labored  actively  and  heartily  to  advance  the  benevolent  enterprises 
of  the  age,  even  to  the  end  of  life.  In  1831,  he  married  Lydia  A. 
Mott,  a  resident  of  his  native  place,  who  with  one  daughter  survives 
him. 

Fillmore,  Rev.  Amaziah,  eldest  son  of  Comfort  and  Zerviah  (Bos- 
worth)  Fillmore,  and  grandson  of  the  famous  Capt.  John  Fillmore,  was 
Dorn  at  West  Farms,  Sept,  26,  1765,  and  early  became  a  local  preacher 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.       He  was  licensed  as  an  exhorter, 

5 


A 


70 

March  2,  1799,  at  Norwich,  by  Shadrich  Bostwick,  Presiding  Elder, 
ordained  Deacon  June  6,  1810,  by  Bishop  Asbury,  and  ordained  an 
Elder  June  13,  1823,  at  Providence/by  Bishop  George.  He  preached 
many  years  before  he  was  ordained  Deacon  or  Elder,  but  his  labors 
were  then  and  afterwards  confined  to  his  native  town  and  the  immediate 
vicinity.      He  died  April  5,  1847. 

Fillmore,  Rev.  Comfort  Day,  youngest  brother  of  the  above,  was 
born  at  Franklin,  July  8,  1792,  and  also  became  a  local  Methodist 
preacher.  He  took  ministerial  license  about  1828,  and  Deacon's  orders 
in  1834,  from  Bishop  Hedding.  He  also  received  from  the  same 
prelate,  Elder's  orders  in  1845.  His  field  of  labor  was  in  his  native 
town  and  vicinity.  His  services  were  particularly  sought  for  upon 
funeral  occasions.  In  1848  he  removed  to  the  adjoining  town  of  Lis- 
bon, and  again  in  1859,  to  Norwich,  where  he  died  July  9,  1867. 

Fillmore,  Rev.  Daniel,  eldest  son  of  Rev.  Amaziah  Fillmore,  was 
born  at  Franklin,  Dec.  29,  1787.  Having  well  improved  such  advan- 
tages as  the  common  district  schools  of  Connecticut  then  afforded  for 
an  education,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Itinerancy  in  June,  1811,  and 
was  appointed  to  the  Falmouth  circuit  in  Maine.  He  early  rose  to  an 
honorable  position  among  his  brethren,  and  filled  many  of  the  most 
important  stations  in  New  England,  as  at  Portland,  Me.,  Portsmouth, 
N.  H.,  Boston,  Charlestown,  Lynn,  Nantucket  and  New  Bedford, 
Mass.,  and  Providence,  R.  I.  To  each  of  these  stations  he  was  re-ap- 
pointed and  remained  two  years  at  each  term.  He  was  for  many  years 
Secretary  of  the  New  England  Conference,  the  duties  of  which  office 
he  discharged  with  distinguished  ability.  He  was  also  an  ardent  and 
active  friend  of  education  in  the  church,  and  for  several  years  performed 
the  duties  of  financial  agent  of  the  Wesleyan  University  for  the  Prov- 
idence Conference. 

As  one  of  the  founders  of  Methodism,  he  most  cheerfully  shared  in 
the  labors,  struggles  and  poverty  of  its  early  years,  and  lived  to  witness 
its  successes  and  triumphs ;  and  to  but  few  men  in  New  England  is  this 
branch  of  the  church  more  indebted  for  its  present  prosperity.  In 
1 852  he  was  put  upon  the  superannuated  list.  It  may  be  said  of  him, 
that  he  was  one  of  the  first  generation  of  Methodist  preachers  in  New 
England,  most  of  whom  have  passed  away.  He  died  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  Aug.  13,  1858,  leaving  an  example  of  christian  faithfulness  and 
ministerial  fidelity  worthy  of  imitation. 

Fillmore  Rev.  Hiel,  fourth  son  of  Rev.  Amaziah  Fillmore,  was  born 
at  Franklin,  July  27,  1795,  and  became  a  local  preacher  of  the  Metho- 


7i 

dist  Episcopal  Church,  as  did  his  father  before  him.  In  1823  he  was 
authorized  to  exhort  and  hold  meetings,  by  Isaac  Jennison,  a  circuit 
preacher.  In  1832  he  was  ordained  a  Deacon  at  Providence,  by  Bishop 
Hedding,  and  in  1846  was  ordained  an  Elder  at  Norwich  Falls,  by 
Bishop  Waugh.  He  preached  and  performed  other  ministerial  labors 
in  his  own  town  and  neighborhood  as  his  services  were  required.  He 
died  at  Norwich,  whither  he  had  removed  a  few  years  previous,  July 
27,  1862. 

Fillmore,  Rev.  Jesse,  is  a  Methodist  clergyman,  who  now  resides  at 
Providence,  Rhode  Island. 

Hartshorne,  Rev.  Elijah,  Jr.,  son  of  Doctor  Elijah  Hartshorne,  was 
born  at  Franklin  in  1790.  Under  the  instruction  of  his  pastor,  Rev. 
Samuel  Nott,  he  was  prepared  for  college  and  graduated  at  Yale  in  the 
class  of  1815.  A  few  years  later  he  was  licensed  as  a  preacher,  and 
temporarily  supplied  many  pulpits  in  the  vicinity,  but  was  never  or- 
dained.     He  died  at  Franklin,  Sept.   19,  1840,  unmarried. 

Huntington,  Rev.  Asahel,  son  of  Barnabas  and  Anne  (Wright) 
Huntington,  of  the  sixth  generation  from  Simon  Huntington,  the  emi- 
grant ancestor  of  the  family,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  March  17,  1761. 
He  was  prepared  for  college  under  the  teaching  of  his  pastor,  Rev. 
Samuel  Nott,  and  entered  Dartmouth  where  he  graduated  in  1786  with 
the  first  honors  of  his  class.  His  theological  studies  were  pursued  under 
instruction  of  the  Rev.  Doctors  Backus,  of  Somers,  and  Hart,  of  Gris- 
wold.  He  was  ordained  and  settled  as  pastor  of  the  congregational 
church  at  Topsfield,  Mass.,  Nov.  12,  1789.  After  a  faithful  ministry 
of  nearly  twenty-four  years  to  a  devoted  people,  he  died  suddenly  at 
this  place,  April  22,  1813,  of  malignant  sore  throat.  He  married,  June 
2,  1791,  Alethea,  daughter  of  Doctor  Elisha  Lord,  of  Pomfret,  Conn. 
The  late  Doctor  Elisha  Huntington,  of  Lowell,  and  the  Hon.  Asahel 
Huntington,  of  Salem,  were  his  sons. 

Huntington,  Rev.  David,  son  of  Ezra  and  Elizabeth  (Huntington) 
Huntington,  of  the  sixth  generation  from  Simon  Huntington,  the  im- 
migrant ancestor  of  the  family,  was  born  at  Franklin,  April  24,  1788. 
He  was  prepared  for  college  under  the  instruction  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott, 
and  entered  Union  at  Schenectady,  where  he  graduated  in  1809.  He 
studied  theology,  and  was  ordained  Deacon  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  by  Bishop  Hobart,  in  Trinity  church,  New  York  City  in  1812; 
and  was  ordained  Priest  in  St.  Paul's  church,  at  Charlton,  N.  Y.,  three 


J2 

years  later.  He  was  a  devested  Episcopalian,  though  it  is  said  that  he 
did  not  class  himself  either  with  the  High  Church  or  Low  Church 
party,  maintaining  that  those  who  went  beyond,  or  fell  below  the 
accepted  standards  of  the  church,  were  equally  in  error.  For  several 
of  his  last  years  he  resided  at  Harpersville,  N.  Y.,  without  parochial 
charge.      He  died  at  this  place,   April  9,  1855. 

Hyde,  Rev.  Alvan,  D.  D.,  son  of  Joseph  Hyde  by  his  first  wife, 
Abigail  Abell,  being  of  the  sixth  generation  from  William  Hyde,  the 
Proprietor,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  Feb.  2,  1768.  He  was  prepared 
for  college  by  his  pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Nott.  and  graduated  at  Dart- 
mouth in  the  class  of  1788.  In  the  autumn  of  1789,  he  placed  him- 
self under  the  instruction  of  the  Rev.  (afterwards  Dr.)  Charles  Backus, 
of  Somers,  as  a  theological  teacher,  and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the 
Tolland  Association  of  Congregational  ministers  the  year  following. 
At  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  church  and  society  in  Lee,  Mass.,  he 
was  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel  ministry  in  that  place,  June 
6,  1792.  The  sermon  on  the  occasion  was  preached  by  Rev.  (after- 
wards Dr.)  Samuel  Nott. 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Hyde's  manner  in  the  pulpit  was  solemn,  grave 
and  earnest,  but  never  impassioned.  He  spoke  as  one  who  felt  that 
"  he  must  give  account,"  and  whose  only  aim  was  to  win  souls  to  Christ 
by  a  clear  and  simple  presentation  of  gospel  truth.  He  had  a  high 
reputation  as  a  theological  teacher,  and  assisted,  at  different  times,  be- 
tween thirty  and  forty  young  men  in  their  preparation  for  the  ministry. 
He  was  also  an  active  friend  and  patron  of  Williams  College,  and  was 
in  some  way  officially  connected  with  that  institution  for  more  than 
thirty  years.  He  died  at  his  post,  at  Lee,  Dec.  4,  1833,  after  an 
eminently  successful  ministry  of  more  than  forty-one  years' continuance. 
An  interesting  memoir  of  him  was  published  in  1835.  In  April,  1703, 
he  was  married  to  Lucy,  daughter  of  Benjamin  Fessenden  of  Sandwich, 
Mass.      Of  their  eleven  children  only  six  survived  the  father. 

Of  his  publications  a  list  may  be  found  in  Dr.  Sprague's  Annals, 
Vol.  II,  page  303. 

Hyde,  Rev.  Charles,  is  a  Congregational  clergyman  who  has  retired 
from  the  pastoral  office  and  now  resides  at  Ellington,    Conn. 

Hyde,  Rev.  Eli,  third  son  of  Eli  and  Rhoda  (Lathrop)  Hyde,  and 
great-grandson  of  John  Hyde  of  the  third  generation,  was  born  at 
West  Farms,  Jan.  20th,  1778.  He  was  prepared  for  college  by  his 
pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  and  graduated  at  Yale  in  the  class  of  1803. 


73 

After  a  thorough  theological  course  of  reading  under  the  instruction  of 
Rev.  Doctors  Calvin  Chapin,  of  Wethersfield,  and  Ciprian  Strong,  of 
Chatham,  he  was  ordained  as  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  at  Oxford,  N. 
Y.,  in  the  spring  of  1808.  After  a  ministry  of  about  four  years  at  this 
place,  he  was  dismissed,  and  afterwards,  in  the  summer  of  1812,  he  de- 
voted several  months  to  missionary  labor  in  northern  New  York,  then 
but  sparsely  settled.  The  next  year  he  was  installed  in  the  ministry  at 
Amenia  in  the  same  State,  and  subsequently  at  Salem,  Conn.,  and  Salis- 
bury, Vt.  As  a  religious  teacher,  he  was  eminently  sound  and  scrip- 
tural in  his  theological  views,  and  as  a  pastor,  faithful  and  devoted  to 
his  consecrated  work.  He  died  at  Franklin,  Oct.  3,  1856.  In  Nov. 
1807,  he  was  married  to  Sarah,  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  who  still 
survives  him. 

Hyde,  Rev.  John,  eldest  son  of  Vaniah  and  Rebecca  (Barker) 
Hyde,  and  great-grandson  of  Thomas  Hyde  of  the  third  generation 
from  William,  the  Proprietor,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  July  7,  1776. 
Having  been  prepared  for  college  by  his  pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  he 
entered  Yale,  where  he  graduated  in  the  class  of  1803.  After  devoting 
the  usual  period  to  a  theological  course  under  Rev.  Asahel  Hooker, 
then  of  Goshen,  but  afterwards  of  Norwich,  Conn.,  he  was  ordained 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Hamden,  Conn.,  in  April, 
1806,  which  charge  he  resigned  after  a  ministry  of  about  five  years. 
He  was  installed  in  1812  pastor  of  the  church  in  Preston,  Conn.,  where 
he  remained  fifteen  years.  He  was  then  dismissed,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1828  was  again  installed  at  North  Wilbraham,  Mass.,  where  he  re- 
mained about  five  years.  After  this  he  preached  in  various  places,  but 
did  not  again  become  a  settled  pastor.  Mr.  Hyde  died  at  Franklin, 
much  respected  and  beloved,  Aug.  14,  1848,  aged  72  years.  He  mar- 
ried, April  22,  1806,  Susan,  daughter  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott.  She 
died  at  West  Killingly  in  1842. 

Hyde,  Rev.  Lavius,  third  son  of  Joseph  Hyde  by  his  second  wife, 
Julitta  Abell,  and  great-grandson  of  Thomas  of  the  third  generation, 
being  the  sixth  from  William  Hyde,  the  Proprietor,  was  born  at  Frank- 
lin, Jan.  29,  1789.  He  graduated  at  Williams  College  in  1813,  studied 
theology  at  Andover,  and  was  ordained  pastor  of  the  Congregational 
church  at  Salisbury,  Conn.,  in  1818.  In  1824  he  was  installed  over 
the  church  in  Bolton,  Conn.,  and  was  afterwards  pastor  at  Ellington, 
Conn.,  Wayland  and  Becket,  Mass.,  and  was  finally  re-settled  at  Bolton. 
When  70  years  of  age,  in  accordance  with  a  previously  expressed  pur- 
pose, he  retired  from  the  pastoral  office  and  became  a  resident  at  Vernon. 
Mr.  Hyde  was   a   man   of  extensive   research    and  of  rare  attainments. 


74 

He  was  the  author  of  an  interesting  memoir  of  his  half-brother,  Rev. 
Alvan  Hyde,  D.  D.,  published  in  1835,  and  was  the  friend  and  literary- 
executor  of  Carlos  Wilcox,  and  published  his  biography,  with  selections 
from  his  writings.  He  was  possessed  of  much  warmth  of  religious  feeling, 
and  was  everywhere  regarded  as  a  faithful  and  devoted  pastor.  He  died 
at  Vernon,  April  3,  1865.  He  was  married  in  1818,  to  Alice  Bradley,  of 
Stockbridge,  Mass.,  who,  with  one  son  and  three  daughters,  survives  him. 

Ladd,  Rev.  Beaufort,  is  a  retired  Congregational  clergyman  who, 
at  the  present  time,  resides  at  Victory,  Cayuga  county,  N.  Y. 

Moseley,  Rev.  Peabody,  son  of  Increase  and  Mary  Moseley,  born  at 
West  Farms,  Aug.  19,  1724,  became  a  Baptist  clergyman  and  resided 
and  preached  successively  at  Norwich,  Mansfield,  and  Granby,  Conn. 
He  married  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  Capt.  Jacob  Hyde,  Aug.  2,  1748. 
About  the  year  1780,  he  and  his  wife  and  a  part  of  his  children,  joined 
the  society  of  Shakers  at  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in  Sept., 
1791.  Mrs.  Moseley  survived  him  about  25  years,  and  finally  died 
with  the  Shakers  at  New  Lebanon. 

Munsell,  Rev.  Jabez,  youngest  son  of  Henry  and  Sarah  (Hyde) 
Munsell,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  about  1769.  He  was  prepared  for 
college  under  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  and  graduated  at  Dartmouth  in  the 
class  of  1794;  took  a  second  degree  at  Yale  in  1799;  was  settled  as  a 
Congregational  minister  at  Gill,  Mass.,  in  1802  ;  resigned  his  charge  in 
1805,  and  removed  to  Richmond,  Va.,  where  he  died  in  J 832. 

Nott,  Rev.  Eliphalet,  D.  D.,  son  of  Stephen  and  Deborah  (Selden) 
Nott,  being  of  the  fifth  generation  from  John  Nott,  Sen.,  of  Wethers- 
field,  was  born  at  Ashford,  Conn.,  June  25,  1773,  but  Franklin  early 
became  his  adopted  home.  It  is  said  that  he  was  favored  with  an  ex- 
cellent mother  ;  and  it  is,  doubtless,  due  to  the  fostering  care  of  this 
tireless  woman,  that  the  foundations  for  his  future  eminence  were  early 
and  securely  laid.  His  subsequent  preliminary  education  was  acquired 
mainly  under  the  instruction  of  his  brother,  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  D.  D. 
Although  he  received  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  Brown  Uni- 
versity in  1795,  he  had  not  the  benefit  of  a  regular  collegiate  course  of 
instruction ;  but  the  want  of  this,  however,  was  compensated  by  a 
natural  facility  in  acquiring  knowledge.  Having  studied  theology  under 
the  Rev.  Joel  Benedict,  D.  D.,  of  Plainfield,  Conn.,  he  was  licensed 
and  sent  out  as  a  Missionary  to  Central  New  York.  Not  long  after- 
wards, he  established  himself  as  a  clergyman  and  principal  of  an  acad- 
emy at  Cherry  Valley,    then   a  frontier  settlement   in   that  state.       In 


75 

1798  he  become  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  Albany,  where 
he  remained  for  the  next  six  years,  and  at  this  period  he  had  few  equals 
in  pulpit  eloquence  in  the  country.  In  1804  he  delivered  his  very 
eloquent  discourse  upon  the  death  of  Hamilton  which,  doubtless,  secured 
his  appointment  in  that  year,  as  fourth  President  of  Union  College. 
He  continued  to  manage  the  affairs  of  this  Institution  with  extraordi- 
nary ability  for  a  period  of  more  than  sixty  years,  and  under  his  guid- 
ance such  men  as  Francis  Wayland,  William  H.  Seward  and  Judge 
Kent,  were  raised  up  to  shed  luster  upon  the  present  age. 

President  Nott,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  pupils,  had  the  rare  faculty 
of  inspiring  in  them  a  sense  of  self-respect,  and  of  calling  forth  their 
earnest,  manly  qualities  of  head  and  heart.  Of  an  original  cast  of  mind, 
developed  by  elaborate  culture,  he  had  large  inventive  powers,  which  he 
did  not  fail  to  devote  to  useful  purposes,  for  he  took  out,  at  different 
times,  more  than  thirty  patents  for  the  generation  and  application  of 
heat,  including  that  for  the  celebrated  stove  bearing  his  name. 

He  died  at  Schenectady,  Jan.  29,  1866,  aged  92  years. 

His  published  works  are,  Addresses  to  Young  Men,  Temperance  Ad 
dresses,  and  a  volume  of  Sermons. 

Nott,  Rev.  John  W.,  is  an  Episcopal  clergyman;  resides  at  Frost- 
burgh,  Md.,  and  is  without  parochial  charge.  He  is  at  present  employed 
in  teaching. 

Nott,  Rev.  Samuel,  Jr.,  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  D.  D.,  and 
Lucretia  (Taylor)  Nott,  was  born  in  Franklin,  Sept.  11,  1788.  He 
was  prepared  for  college  by  his  father,  and  entered  Union,  where  he 
graduated  in  1808.  He  then  entered  the  theological  seminary  at 
Andover,  where  he  remained  about  one  year.  Having  obtained  a  min- 
isterial license,  he  preached  in  various  pulpits  during  the  next  two  or 
three  years,  after  which  he  was  ordained  in  the  Tabernacle  church,  at 
Salem,  Mass.,  Feb.  6,  1812,  with  Newell,  Judson,  Hall  and  Rice,  and 
the  same  month  sailed  for  Calcutta  to  enter  the  foreign  field  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathen,  being  one  of  the  little  band  of  pioneers  sent 
forth  by  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions, 
then  but  recently  organized.  He  returned  from  India  to  this  country 
in  Aug.,  1816.  Shortly  afterwards  he  took  charge  of  a  school  composed 
of  young  ladies,  in  the  city  of  New  York,  which  he  continued  to  con- 
duct till  the  spring  of  1823,  when  he  removed  to  Galway,  in  the  same 
state,  and  became  the  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  that  place. 
This  relation  was  dissolved  in  1829,  when  he  removed  to  Wareham, 
Mass.,  and  became    the    pastor    of  the    Congregational   church    in  that 


76 

town.  He  was  dismissed  from  this  charge  in  1846,  but  continued  to 
reside  in  the  place  for  the  next  twenty  years,  employed  much  of  the 
time  in  teaching.  The  last  year  of  his  life  was  passed  at  the  residence 
of  his  son,  in  Hartford,  Conn.,  where  he  died  June  1,  1869.  He  mar- 
ried, Feb.  8,  1812,  Roxanna  Peck,  also  of  Franklin,  who  with  their 
seven  children  survives  him. 

His  published  works,  most  of  which  appeared  at  an  early  date,  are 
"Sermons  for  Children,"  3  vols.  ;  "  Sermons  from  the  Fowls  of  the  Air 
and  Lilies  of  the  Field";  "Sermons  on  Public  Worship";  "Appeal 
to  the  Temperate  ";  "  Temperance  and  Religion  ";  "  Freedom  of  the 
Mind  ";  "  The  Telescope ";  "  A  Sermon  on  the  Idolatry  of  the 
Hindoos  ";   "  A  Discourse  on  the  Death  of  President  Harrison  ";  etc. 

Nott,  Rev.  Stephen  T.,  youngest  son  of  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  D.  D., 
was  born  at  Franklin,  June  20,  1802.  He  fitted  for  college  under  the 
instruction  of  his  father,  and  graduated  at  Union  in  1822.  He  also 
acquired  a  competent  knowledge  of  theology  under  the  paternal  roof; 
obtained  a  ministerial  license  from  the  New  London  Association  of 
Congregational  ministers,  and  preached  in  a  number  of  pulpits  in  this 
and  the  adjoining  States,  but  was  never  ordained.  He  died  at  the 
family  mansion  in  Franklin,  July  23,  1828,  unmarried. 

Prentice,  Rev.  Erastus  L.,  is  a  Methodist  clergyman  ;  belongs  to 
the  New  York  Conference,  and  resides  at  Poughkeepsie  in  that  State. 

Rudd,  Rev.  yohn  Churchill,  D.  D.,  son  of  Jonathan  and  Mary 
(Huntington)  Pvudd,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  May  24,  1779.  He 
was  prepared  for  Yale  College  by  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  but  from  adverse 
circumstances  he  was  prevented  from  taking  a  collegiate  course.  He 
was  educated  a  congregationalist,  but  it  is  said  that  he  felt  some  difficulty, 
even  at  an  early  period,  respecting  the  distinctive  features  of  Calvinism, 
and  the  result  of  his  reading  and  reflection  was  only  to  establish  him 
in  the  Episcopal  system  ;  and  he  was  accordingly  admitted  to  Deacon's 
Orders,  by  Bishop  Moore  in  1805,  and  to  Priests'  Orders  by  the  same 
venerable  prelate  the  year  following.  After  a  few  months  of  missionary 
labor  on  Long  Island,  at  the  suggestion  of  Bishop  Moore,  he  took  charge 
of  St.  John's  Parish,  Elizabethtown,  N.  J.,  and  shortly  afterwards  was 
instituted  its  rector.  While  at  this  place,  he  edited  the  "  Churchman's 
Magazine,"  a  religious  periodical.  In  1826  he  resigned  his  charge  in 
consequence  of  failing  health  and  voice,  and  removed  to  Auburn,  N.  Y., 
to  take  charge  of  an  academy.  The  year  following  he  commenced 
another  religious  periodical,   "  The  Gospel  Messenger,"  which  he  con- 


77 

tinued  to  conduct  to  the  end  of  his  life.  In  1822  he  received  the 
honorary  degree  of  D.  D.,  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Dr. 
Rudd  died  at  Utica,  N.  Y.,  Nov.  15,  1848.  He  married,  in  1803, 
Phebe  Eliza,  daughter  of  Edward  Bennet,  of  Shrewsbury,  N.  J.,  but 
had  no  children. 

Smith,  Rev.  Joshua,  second  son  of  Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Harts- 
horne)  Smith,  was  born  at  Franklin,  March  1,  1809.  After  a  thorough 
preparation  for  college,  he  graduated  at  Yale  in  the  class  of  1833.  He 
was  subsequently  employed  for  some  time  in  teaching,  and  then  entered 
the  theological  seminary  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  to  qualify  himself  for  the 
ministry  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  After  graduating  at  the 
seminary,  he  was  ordained  Deacon  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Richard  Channing 
Moore,  Jan.  10,  1840,  and  shortly  after  went  as  a  missionary  of  the 
Protestant  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  to  Cape  Palmas, 
Western  Africa.  He  returned  to  the  United  States  in  1844,  and  re- 
sided successively  at  Batavia,  Rochester  and  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  finally 
removed  to  Newark,  N.  J.,  in  1853.  He  was  ordained  Priest  by  Bishop 
Doane,  April  28,  1863,  and  took  charge  of  a  colored  congregation  in 
Newark,  where  he  died  Aug.  19,  1865,  unmarried. 

Stanton,  Rev.  Robert  P.,  is  now  pastor  of  the  Congregational  church 
at  Greenville,  Conn. 

Willes,  Rev.  Daniel,  E.,  is  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  and  resides  at 
Hobart,  Albany  county,  N.  Y. 


Note  G. 

PHYSICIANS  OF  WEST  FARMS,  NOW  FRANKLIN. 

The  medical  profession  in  ancient  Norwich  was  more  than  respectable  ; 
was  distinguished.  As  practitioners,  several  of  its  members  had  few 
superiors  in  the  country,  and  West  Farms  had  her  full  proportion  of 
men  of  ability.  The  first  that  we  shall  notice  as  coming  under  our 
observation,  was 

Dr.  John  Olmstead,  or  Holmstead,  who  came  to  Norwich  from 
Saybrook  with  the  colony  of  settlers  in  1660,  and  was  classed  as  one  of 
the  Original  Proprietors.  Though  originally  located  at  the  Town  Plot, 
he  was,  for  a  considerable  time,  the  sole  physician  of  the  settlement  at 
West  Farms.  He  was  something  of  a  surgeon,  and  is  said  to  have  had 
considerable  skill   in  the  treatment  of  wounds,  particularly  those  caused 


78 

by  the  bite  of  the  rattlesnake.      He  was  fond  of  frontier  life  and  enjoyed 
in  a  high  degree  the  sports  of  the  chase.      He  died  in  1686. 

Dr.  Solomon  Tracy  was  the  next  physician  in  the  order  of  time. 
He  was  the  fifth  son  of  Lieut.  Thomas,  and  came  to  Norwich  in  1660  with 
his  father,  at  the  age  of  nine  years.  When  of  suitable  age  he  was  in- 
structed in  the  healing  art  by  Dr.  Olmstead,  and  located  in  business  at 
the  Town  Plot.  As  his  elder  brother,  John,  had  settled  at  West  Farms, 
he  was  drawn  thither,  and  for  a  considerable  time  was  the  sole  physician 
in  this  section.      He  died  July  9,  1732. 

Dr.  David  Hartshorne  was  the  earliest  physician  who  actually  settled 
at  Norwich  West  Farms.  Dr.  Hartshorne  was  born  in  Reading,  Massa- 
chusetts, 1656.  He  first  located  in  business  in  his  native  town,  where 
he  continued  till  about  the  year  1700,  when  he  removed  to  this  place. 
In  his  new  field  of  labor  he  v/as  highly  esteemed  as  a  physician,  and  was 
a  leading  man  both  in  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs.  He  was  also  one  of 
the  original  deacons  of  the  church,  and  generally  held  in  trust  tjie  funds 
of  the  society.      Dr.  Hartshorne  died  November  3d,  1738. 

Dr.  Robert  Bell,  from  Ipswich,  father-in-law  of  Capt.  John  Fillmore, 
was  a  cotemporary  of  Dr.  Hartshorne,  and  was  located  near  the  present 
village  of  Baltic.      He  died  Aug.  23,  1727. 

Dr.  John  Sabin  was  born  in  Pomfret,  Windham  county,  Connecti- 
cut, 1696.  Removing  early  to  Portapaug,  he  acquired  an  extensive 
practice.  Upon  his  tombstone  it  is  stated  that  he  was  captain  of  one 
of  the  Norwich  foot  companies.  The  fact  that  he  was  several  times 
deputed  as  agent  to  transact  important  business  with  the  legislature, 
shows  that  he  was  held  in  estimation.  He  married  for  second  wife, 
Nov.  3d,  1730,  Hannah  Starr,    of  Dedham  ;   died  March  2d,  1742. 

Dr.  Sabin  was  the  ancestor  of  Hon.  LaFayette  S.  Foster,  U.  S.  Sen- 
ator from  Connecticut  and  Vice  President  of  the  Senate. 

Dr.  Thomas  Worden  should  certainly  be  noticed  as  among  the  early 
physicians  at  West  Farms.  He  was  a  son  of  Samuel  Worden,  read 
medicine  with  Dr.  Hartshorne,  and  resided  upon  the  hillside  a  short  dis- 
tance south-west  from  the  village  of  Baltic.  Although  his  advantages 
were  slender  and  his  location  obscure,  and  although  his  death  occurred 
more  than  a  century  ago,  (1759,)  yet  his  name  has  been  handed  down 
to  our  own  time  in  connection  with  a  prescription  which  he  originally 
used  in  his  practice.  Dec.  17,  1728,  the  town  voted  to  Dr.  Thomas 
Worden  "  for  travel  and  Medisons  applied  to  Ebenezer  Hunter's  child, 

3." 


79 

As  indicating  the  public  solicitude  early  manifested  for  the  unfortu- 
nate poor,  we  add  a  few  items  from  the  records. — 

"Jan.  4,  1726-7,  voted  to  allow  Dr.  David  Hartshorne,  for  services 
to  Gaylor,  £0.  7s.  od." 

"To  Thomas  Blythe,  for  tending  Gaylor,  £2.  2s.  od." 

"To  13  watchers  with  Gaylor,   2s.  each  per  night,  £2.  2s.  od." 

December  19,  1727,  "To  Thomas  Blythe,  for  digging  Gaylor's 
grave,  £0.  5s.  od." 

July  5,  1727,  "The  inhabitants  do  now  by  their  vote,  agree  to  allow 
to  each  man  that  watches  with  Micah  Rood,  two  shillings  per  night. 
Also  to  those  who  have  attended  said  Rood  by  the  day,  three  shillings 
per  day." 

"Dec.  17,  1728,  to  Jacob  Hyde,  for  digging  Micah  Rood's  grave, 
£0.  4s.  od." 

Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers  was  born  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts,  October 
4th,  1699,  the  sixth  in  descent  from  John  Rogers,  the  proto-martyr, 
who  was  burned  at  Smithfield,  February  4th,  1555.  Dr.  Rogers  studied 
his  profession,  and  practiced  for  a  while,  in  Boston.  Afterwards  he 
removed  to  Norwich  West  Farms,  where  he  entered  upon  a  wide  sphere 
of  usefulness.  Dr.  Roger's  name  has  come  down  to  us  in  connection 
with  striking  eccentricities.  While  he  possessed  firmness  and  good 
judgment  as  a  physician,  his  natural  timidity  was  excessive.  It  is  said 
that  he  built  his  house,  which  is  still  standing,  [the  residence  of  the  late 
Jason  W.  Kingsley]  very  low  between  joints  in  order  to  avoid  danger 
from  high  winds,  and  covered  the  windows  with  wooden  shutters,  to 
keep  out  the  glare  of  lightning.  Whenever  called  abroad  in  the  night, 
he  preferred  to  have  some  one  accompany  him.  He  died  Sept.  29, 
1753.  His  wife  died  on  the  17th  of  November,  of  the  same  year,  and 
both  sleep  in  one  grave. 

Dr.  Ezekiel  Rogers,  eldest  son  of  the  above,  was  born  October  2, 
1723.  Talented  and  amiable,  he  entered  upon  his  professional  career 
with  bright  prospects.  But  the  hopes  of  many  friends  were  doomed  to 
disappointment,  for  in  the  flower  of  youth  he  died,  Nov.  11,  1745. 

Dr.  John  Barker,  whose  residence  was  located  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  West  Farms  Society,  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  and  Hannah 
(Brewster)  Barker,  and  was  born  in  Lebanon,  Connecticut,  in  1729. 
The  ordinary  school  advantages  of  that  day  he  carefully  improved.  As 
a  medical  student  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Joseph  Perkins,  his  close  applica- 
tion,   keen   insight   into  the    mysteries   of  disease,   and  particularly  his 


8o 

quick  and  accurate  interpretation  of  equivocal  symptoms,  gave  certain 
promise  of  future  success.  Commencing  business  in  1750,  he  labored 
in  the  same  field  for  more  than  forty  years,  till  stricken  down  by  sudden 
death.  As  a  physician,  Dr.  Barker  enjoyed  an  enviable  popularity,  both 
with  the  public  and  the  profession.  He  was  extensively  employed  in 
consultation  throughout  eastern  Connecticut,  and  great  deference  was 
yielded  to  his  opinions. 

He  was  one  of  the  original  memorialists  who  petitioned  the  legisla- 
ture for  a  medical  society.  Not  discouraged  by  that  attempt,  he  and 
his  compeers  persevered  till,  ten  or  twelve  years  later,  their  efforts 
resulted  in  the  organization  of  a  voluntary  association,  with  Dr.  Barker 
for  its  first  President.  To  this  position  he  was  annually  re-elected  so 
long  as  he  lived. 

Many  anecdotes  of  Dr.  Barker  are  still  preserved.  For  these  we 
have  no  room.  But  even  without  collateral  evidence,  these  would  show 
that  he  was  a  man  of  sparkling  wit,  quick  perceptions,  sound  common 
sense,  and  not  least,  generous  heart.  It  was  to  these  strong  and  noble 
traits  of  character  that  he  owed  his  success,  for  he  was  not  graced  with 
elegance  of  person  or  polish  of  manner,  nor  did  his  pointed  repartees 
derive  their  force  from  any  fastidious  selection  of  words.  His  careless 
and  slovenly  habits  led  a  cotemporary  to  remark, — 

"  Barker,  a  diamond,  was  both  coarse  and  rough, 
But  yet  a  diamond  was,  of  sterling  worth." 

He  died  June  13,  1791,  of  cholera  morbus.  On  the  19th  of  September 
following,  Dr.  Philemon  Tracy,  by  appointment,  delivered  a  eulogy  on 
his  life  and  character,  before  the  New  London  Co.  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Obadiah  Kingsbury,  son  of  Ephraim  Kingsbury,  was  born  at 
West  Farms,  1735.  He  studied  with  Dr.  Barker,  and  located  in  his 
native  parish.  Though  dying  in  1776,  at  an  early  age,  he  accumulated, 
by  his  industry,  a  handsome  estate. 

Dr.  Nathaniel  Hyde  was  born  at  West  Farms,  1 746,  and  was  the 
fourth  son  of  Abner  Hyde.  He  studied  with  Dr.  Barker,  who  had  mar- 
ried his  sister,  and  located  in  West  Farms  near  the  residence  of  the  late 
Tommy  Hyde.  He  was  a  judicious  practitioner,  though  his  remedies 
were  chiefly  of  a  domestic  character.  His  field  of  labor  was  limited, 
and  he  had  abundant  leisure,  which  was  devoted  to  reading  and  medita- 
tion. The  English  classics  were  his  favorite  field,  and  he  could  recite 
the  whole  of  Paradise  Lost  from  memory.  He  is  said  to  have  done  most 
of  his  business  on  foot.      Dr.  Hyde  never  married;   died  1832. 


Dr.  Benjamin  Ellis,  son  of  Rev.  John  Ellis,  was  born  at  West 
Farms,  1752.  He  studied  with  Dr.  Joshua  Downer  of  Preston,  and 
settling  at  West  Farms,  acquired  an  extensive  practice,  particularly  in 
the  department  of  obstetrics.      Dr.  Ellis  died  in  1825. 

Dr.  Elijah  Hartshorne  was  born  at  West  Farms,  1754.  He  studied 
with  Dr.  Phillip  Turner,  and  located  in  the  southern  part  of  his  native 
society.  Dr.  Hartshorne  was  a  careful  and  judicious  practitioner.  His 
field  was  a  circumscribed  one,  and  he  did  his  business  on  foot.  His 
death  occurred  in  1839. 

These  three  cotemporaries  were  succeeded  by  Dr.  Reuben  Burgess, 
who  died  in  1833. 

The  Writer  located  in  Franklin,  in  1829,  and  has  been  the  sole 
practitioner  of  the  place  since  1833. 

Thus  much  for  the  resident  physicians  of  Franklin.  We  subjoin 
brief  notices  of  those  natives  of  Franklin  who  have  located  as  physicians 
in  other  places : — 

Dr.  Christopher  Huntington  wa.s  the  eldest  son  of  Christopher,  of  West 
Farms,  and  grandson  of  Christopher,  the  first  male  child  born  in  Norwich. 
Dr.  Huntington  located  in  Bozrah,  and  appears  to  have  been  the  sole  phy- 
sician of  New  Concord,  during  its  early  history;   died  in  1800. 

He  married,  September  29,  1748,  Sarah  Bingham,  and  had  six  chil- 
dren, of  whom  the  youngest,  Christopher,  became  a  physician. 

Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers,  <Jfr.,w2.s  the  son  of  Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers, 
of  West  Farms,  with  whom  he  studied  his  professson.  He  located  at 
Bean  Hill.  The  labors  of  an  extensive  practice,  he  performed,  accord- 
ing to  the  usual  custom,  on  horseback.  In  the  revolution,  Dr.  Rogers 
was  a  staunch  whig,  a  member  of  the  committee  of  safety,  and  very 
active  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

He  married,  March  25,  1754,  Penelope  Jarvis,  of  Roxbury,  and  had 
one  son  and  three  daughters.  He  died,  September  29,  1801,  aged  70. 
He  was  noted  for  rigid  adherence  to  etiquette  and  nicety  in  matters  of 
dress  and  appearance.  Habitual  courtesy,  graceful  manners,  and  skill  in 
the  winsome  play  of  conversation,  threw  a  charm  around  his  presence 
which  was  felt  alike  by  young  and  old. 

The  name  and  family  have  been  distinguished  in  both  the  medical 
and  clerical  professions,  on  each  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Dr.  Elisha  Tracy,  son  of  Captain  Joseph  Tracy,  was  born  at  West 
Farms,  in  1712,  and  graduated   at  Yale    College   in  1738.       It  was  the 


wish  of  his  friends  that  he  should  enter  the  ministry,  but  yielding  to  his 
own  predelictions,  he  commenced  the  study  of  medicine  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers,  Sen.,  and  settled  in  business  in  Nor- 
wich. He  possessed  thorough  classical  scholarship,  and  was  well  versed 
in  medical  liierature. 

In  1775,  Dr.  Tracy  was  appointed  one  of  the  members  of  a  commit- 
tee to  examine  all  candidates  applying  for  situations  in  the  army,  either 
as  surgeons  or  assistant  surgeons. 

For  his  earnest  advocacy  of  inoculation  for  smallpox,  he  encountered 
a  storm  of  prejudice  and  persecution.  By  two  grand  jurors  of  the 
county  he  was  presented  "for  communicating  the  small  pox,  by  inocu- 
lation, to  Elijah  Lathrop  and  Benjamin  Ward,  both  of  Norwich,  afore- 
said, and  sundry  other  persons,  against  the  peace,  and  contrary  to  the 
laws  of  this  state."  Pleading  guilty  to  the  charge,  he  was  held  in  a 
recognizance  of  sixty  pounds,  to  appear  and  answer  before  the  county 
court.  He  was  fortunate,  however,  in  living  to  see  his  own  views  very 
generally  adopted  by  the  community. 

Dr.  Tracy  was  the  author  of  the  inscription  in  memory  of  Samuel 
Uncas,*  that  brought  to  light  the  obscure  Indian  word,  "  Wauregan," 
which  has  since  acquired  great  local  popularity. 

After  an  active  life  of  forty-five  years,  he  died,  in  1783,  widely  be- 
loved and  lamented. 

Dr.  Samuel  H.  Barker,  son  of  Dr.  John  Barker,  born  at  West 
Farms,  in  1753,  studied  medicine  with  his  father,  and  located  in  busi- 
ness at  Lebanon  Crank,  now  Columbia,  where  he  died,  June  11,  1794, 
much  lamented. 

In  an  obituary  notice  by  one  of  his  pupils,  we  find  the  following : — 

"  If  worth  and  merit  from  death's  jaws  could  save, 
Barker,  our  friend,  had  always  shunned  the  grave." 

Dr.  Phineas  Hyde,  son  of  Phineas  Hyde  and  maternal  grandson  of 
Dr.  Theophilus  Rogers,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  1749.  He  practiced 
successively  at  Poquetanock  and  Mystic.  During  the  Revolution  he  was 
a  surgeon  in  the  service  both  in  the  army  and  navy.      He  died  in  1820. 

*  The  epitaph  is  as  follows  : — 

"  For  beauty,  wit,  for  sterling  sense, 
For  temper  mild,  for  eloquence, 
For  courage  bold,  for  things  wauregan, 
He  was  the  glory  of  Moheagan — 
Whose  death  has  caused  great  lamentation 
Both  in  ye  English  and  ye  Indian  nation." 


83 

Dr.  Luther  Waterman  was  born  at  West  Farms  about  1750.  He 
married  Jerusha,  daugher  of  his  preceptor,  Dr.  Barker.  He  was  attached 
as  surgeon  to  the  forces  under  Colonel  Knowlton,  during  the  campaign 
of  1776.      After  the  war  he  removed  to  the  west. 

Dr.  Gurdon  Huntington,  son  of  Dea.  Barnabas,  was  born  at  West 
Farms,  in  1768.  His  preliminary  studies  were  under  the  direction  of 
his  pastor,  Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  and  in  medicine  he  was  the  pupil  of  Dr. 
Lord.  He  located  in  business  at  Unadilla,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died, 
July  13,  1847. 

Dr.  Asher  Huntington,  son  of  Ezra,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  Feb. 
25,  1770.  He  studied  medicine  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Philemon 
Tracy,  and  commenced  practi  e  in  Preston,  Conn.,  but  not  very  long 
afterwards  removed  to  Chenango,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died,  in  1833. 

Dr.  Abel  Huntington  was  born  at  West  Farms,  1777.  He  located 
at  East  Hampton,  Long  Island,  was  a  member  of  the  New  York 
senate,  and  from  1833  to  1837  represented  his  district  in  congress,  be- 
sides filling  other  offices  from  time  to  time,  and  always  worthily.  Died, 
1858. 


Note  H. 

Biographical  sketches  of  individuals  not  included  in 
the  clerical  or  medical  professions. 

Foster,  LaFayette  S.,  LL.D.,  was  born  at  Franklin,  Nov.  22d, 
1806,  being  a  direct  descendant  of  the  famous  Capt.  Miles  Standish, 
and  also  a  lineal  descendant  of  Doctor  John  Sabin,  an  early  phy- 
sician at  West  Farms.  He  graduated  at  Brown  University  in  1828; 
became  a  lawyer  by  profession,  and  located  in  business  in  Norwich,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Connec- 
ticut for  six  sessions,  between  1839  and  1854,  during  three  of  which  he 
was  Speaker  of  the  House  ;  was  Mayor  of  the  city  of  Norwich  several 
years,  and  was  chosen  a  senator  in  congress  for  a  term  of  six  years  fro  n 
March  4,  1855.  Having  been  re-elected  to  that  office,  he  remained  in 
the  senate  for  a  period  of  twelve  years,  during  the  last  two  of  which 
he  was  President  of  that  body,  and  acting  Vice  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  in  the  event  of  a  vacancy  would  have  become  President  by 
virtue  of  his  office.  He  has  recently  been  elected  to  the  Professorship 
of  Law,  in  Yale  College. 


84 

Fillmore,  Hon.  Millard,  eldest  son  of  Nathaniel  Fillmore,  and 
great-grandson  of  Captain  John  Fillmore,  (of  whom  a  brief  notice  has 
already  been  given,)  was  born,  Jan.  7,  1800,  not  in  Franklin,  but  Sum- 
mer Hill,  N.  Y.  Though  not  a  native  of  Franklin,  the  Fillmore  fam- 
ily has  so  long  resided  in  this  locality,  and  been  so  identified  with  its 
history,  that  by  common  consent  we  claim  this  distinguished  individual 
as  belonging  to  us. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  years  he  commenced  the  study  of  law,  and 
four  years  later  was  admitted  to  the  bar  and  entered  upon  his  profes- 
sional career  at  Aurora,  N.  Y.  His  political  life  commenced  with  his 
election  to  the  State  Assembly  in  1829,  at  about  which  period  he 
removed  to  Buffalo,  where  he  now  resides.  In  1832,  he  was  elected  to 
Congress,  and  continued  to  hold  a  seat  in  the  national  legislature,  with 
one  or  two  short  interruptions,  till  1843,  when  he  declined  a  re-election. 
In  1847  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Comptroller  of  the  State,  and 
the  next  year  was  nominated  by  the  whig  party  as  their  candidate  for 
Vice  President,  and  was  elected  to  that  office  in  the  autumn  following. 
In  March,  1849,  he  assumed  the  duties  of  his  new  position,  where  he 
remained  till  the  death  of  President  Taylor,  in  July,  1850,  by  which 
event  he  was  elevated  to  the  presidential  chair.  His  term  of  office 
expired  in  1853,  after  which  he  retired  from  public  life. 

Hyde,  Lieut.  Governor  Ephraim  H,  was  born  at  Stafford,  Conn. 
He  is  a  lineal  descendant  of  the  first  Thomas  Hyde  of  West  Farms,  now 
Franklin,  who  was  of  the  third  generation  from  William  the  Proprietor. 
Gov.  Hyde's  tastes  naturallv  incline  to  agriculture,  and  he  has  devoted 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  to  this  pursuit.  He  has  probably  been  the 
pioneer  of  scientific  agriculture  in  this  state.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest 
breeders  of  Durham  stock,  and  in  1851  began  to  breed  the  celebrated 
Devon  stock,  and  is  now  the  largest  breeder  in  New  England,  if  not  in 
the  United  States.  When  Gov.  Hyde  began  breeding  imported  stock,  the 
sentiment  of  farmers  generally  was  strongly  against  it.  But,  with  one  or  two 
associates,  he  persevered,  and  soon  fully  established  the  superiority  of  the 
new  animals.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  this  demonstration  of  the  ca- 
pabilities of  stock  culture  has  revolutionized  the  ideas,  if  not  yet  the 
practice,  of  the  entire  farming  community  of  the  state.  Gov.  Hyde  also 
early  advocated  a  greater  application  of  scientific  knowledge  to  the  culture 
of  crops,  and  has  been  an  earnest  worker  in  this  field,  where  the  majority 
of  our  farmers  strangely  reject  the  aid  which  science  stands  ready  to 
offer.  He  was  one  of  a  few  who  received  a  charter  for  the  Conn.  State 
Agricultural  Society,  in  1852,  and  has  been  connected  with  the  Society 
in  an  official  capacity  since  its  organization,  and  since  1859,  as  president. 


&ytnAAs?    YcjUs  *-^W 


(j£j&c&-- 


85 

He  was  also  active  in  securing  the  organization  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  in  1866,  and  has  been  Vice  President  of  the  Board  from 
the  first.  He  was  also  zealous  in  forming  the  Tolland  Co.  Agricultural 
Society,  and  has  been  its  chief  officer  for  a  majority  of  the  years. 

Gov.  Hyde  is  not  an  active  politician,  though  he  has  often  been  called 
to  political  office.  He  was  several  times  the  representative  of  Stafford 
in  the  legislature,  and  in  1867  was  elected  Lieutenant  Governor  of  the 
State,  to  which  office  he  was  re-elected  the  following  year. 

Kingsbury,  Col.  yacob,  was  born  at  Norwich  West  Farms,  June  6, 
1756,  and  was  a  great-grandson  of  Joseph  Kingsbury,  Sr.,  one  of  the 
first  deacons  of  the  West  Farms  church.  This  ancestor  was  a  resident 
at  Haverhill,  Mass.,  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  massacre  in  1708,  whence, 
in  June  of  the  same  year,  he  removed  with  his  wife,  Love  (Ayer,)  to 
West  Farms.  We  may  presume  that  he  was  drawn  hither  by  the  influ- 
ence of  the  veteran,  John  Ayer,  a  kinsman  of  his  wife.  On  the  ma- 
ternal side  Col.  Kingsbury  was  descended  from  Gen.  Daniel  Dennison, 
Gov.  Thomas  Dudley  and  Sir  Richard  Saltonstall,  prominent  members 
of  the  early  colonies. 

The  ringing  call  that  sounded  from  Concord  over  the  land,  met  a 
quick  response  from  him,  and  he  at  once  hastened  to  join  the  army  at 
Roxbury,  and  enlisted  in  the  company  commanded  by  his  cousin,  Capt. 
Asa  Kingsbury.  He  remained  constantly  in  service,  and  was,  in  1780, 
commissioned  ensign,  in  which  capacity  he  served  till  the  end  of  the 
war.  At  its  close  he  was  promoted  to  a  Lieutenantcy,  and  assigned  to 
the  western  army,  where  he  continued  uninterruptedly  for  fourteen  years. 
During  the  last  nine  years  of  this  period,  to  use  his  own  words,  he  was 
"not  absent  from  military  duty  one  hour."  This  frontier  service  in 
those  days  of  ambuscades  and  massacres,  when  the  posts  were  weak  and 
widely  separated,  but  the  foe  numerous  and  ever  on  the  alert,  was  one 
of  the  greatest  toil  and  danger.  Ceaseless  vigilance  was  the  only  price 
of  safety.  He  here  received  the  well  earned  promotions  of  Captain  and 
Major.  The  following  General  Order  bears  witnesss  to  the  soldierly 
qualities  of  Lieut.  Kingsbury,  and  well  illustrates  the  exigencies  of  the 
early  border  service. 

Fort  Washington,  14th  January,  1791. 

Extract  of  General  Orders  : 

The  General  is  highly  pleased  with  the  cool  and  spirited  conduct 
displayed  by  Lieutenant  Kingsbury  in  repulsing  a  body  of  about  300 
savages,  who  surrounded  Dunlap's    station  on  Monday  morning  last  and 

6 


86 

besieged  it,  endeavoring  to  set  it  on  fire  with  their  arrows,  and  keeping 
up  a  heavy  fire  against  his  small  party  for  the  space  of  twenty-five  hours. 
#####*  This  spirited  defence  made  by  Lieut.  Kingsbury, 
with  so  small  a  force  as  35  men  total,  old  and  young,  sick  and  well,  and 
in  such  bad  works,  reflects  the  greatest  credit  upon  him  and  his  party. 
The  General  returns  his  thanks  to  him,  and  directs  that  the  Adjutant 
transmit  him  a  copy  of  these  orders  by  the  first  conveyance. 

JOS.   HARMAR,  Brig.  General. 

In  1799  he  returned  to  Connecticut  upon  a  furlough,  where  he  spent 
the  two  following  years  in  the  recruiting  service,  and  married  his  wife, 
Miss  Sally  P.  Ellis.  But  in  1802,  he  was  again  ordered  to  the  frontier, 
and  stationed  among  the  Creek  Indians,  in  Georgia.  Toward  the  close 
of  the  following  year  he  was  appointed  Lieut.  Colonel,  and  transferred 
to  the  western  army,  whence  he  was  shortly  transferred  to  the  south- 
western army,  where  he  remained  for  several  years,  and  in  1809  became 
Colonel.  His  services  in  the  south-west  covered  the  years  in  which 
Aaron  Burr  figured  largely  in  that  section.  Burr  called  several  times  at 
the  headquarters  of  Col.  Kingsbury,  and  was  evidently  anxious  to  enlist 
his  sympathies.  But  the  two  never  met.  Col.  Kingsbury  regarded 
him  with  suspicion,  and  was  unwilling  to  compromise  his  own  honor  by 
intercourse  with  him. 

Very  early  in  the  war  of  1812,  Col.  Kingsbury  was  stationed  at 
Detroit,  and,  as  he  once  stated  to  the  writer,  was  offered  the  command 
at  that  post  which  subsequently  devolved  upon  Gen.  Hull,  and  which 
he  himself  could  not  accept,  as  he  was  unable  to  leave  his  quarters 
on  account  of  sickness.  He  was  afterwards  assigned  to  the  command  of 
Fort  Adams,  in  Newport  harbor.  While  in  command  at  this  post,  he 
was  appointed  Inspector  General  of  the  New  England  forces,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  till  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  retired  to  his  home 
in  Franklin.      He  died  at  Franklin,  July  1,  1837. 

Colonel  Kingsbury  was  a  man  of  unswerving  honor  and  integrity, 
and  followed  unflinchingly  the  path  of  duty.  These  qualities  were 
strikingly  exemplified  throughout  the  nearly  fifty  years  of  his  military 
life,  and  won  for  him  universal  respect  and  esteem.  In  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States,  Gen.  William  H.  Harrison,  mentioning  him  as  the  first 
Captain  under  whom  he  served,  truly  remarked,  that  neither  "Rome 
nor  Sparta  ever  produced  a  better  soldier." 

Mason,  Jeremiah,  LL.D.,  was  born  at  Lebanon  Conn.,  April  27, 
1768,  but  his  father  and   several  of  his  elder   sisters  were  born  at  West 


87 

Farms,  at  the  old  family  mansion.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Col. 
Jeremiah  Mason,  and  a  lineal  descendant  of  Major  John  Mason.  Des- 
tined for  an  education  and  for  professional  life,  he  entered  Yale  College, 
where  he  graduated  with  high  honors  in  1788.  After  devoting  several 
years  to  study  in  the  law  office  of  the  Hon.  Stephen  Rowe  Bradley,  of 
Vermont,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  that  state  in  1791,  and  shortly 
afterwards  commenced  his  .professional  career  at  Walpole,  N.  H.,  but 
was  soon  inclined  by  his  rapidly  growing  popularity  to  seek  a  broader 
field  for  practice,  and  removed  to  Portsmouth  in  the  same  State,  where 
he  became  the  personal  and,  as  the  event  proved,  life-long  friend  of 
Daniel  Webster.  In  1802  he  was  appointed  Attorney  General  of  that 
State,  and  from  1813  to  1817  was  a  leading  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  but  resigned  his  seat  for  the  purpose  of  devoting  himself 
more  exclusively  to  his  profession,  in  which  he  was  profoundly  learned, 
particularly  in  the  department  of  common  law. 

He  removed  to  Boston  in  1832,  where  he  died  in  1848.  He  will  be 
remembered  by  many  as  the  learned  and  successful  advocate  of  Rev. 
Ephraim  K.  Avery,  when  on  trial  for  the  murder  of  Sarah  Maria 
Cornell. 

Tracy,  Hon.  Uriah,  son  of  Eliphalet  and  great-grandson  of  John 
Tracy,  the  Proprietor,  was  born  at  West  Farms,  Feb.  2,  1755.  Being 
destined  for  professional  life  he  entered  Yale  College,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  1778  ;  afterwards  read  law  in  Litchfield;  settled  in  that  town, 
and  soon  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession.  He  often  represented  his 
town  in  the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1793  was  Speaker  of  the 
House.  He  was  a  representative  in  Congress  from  1793  to  1796,  and 
from  that  time  onward  to  1807  was  a  leading  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate,  and  a  part  of  the  time  President  pro.  tern,  of  that  branch 
of  Congress.  He  was  also  a  Major-General  of  militia,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  an  instructive  and  agreeable  companion.  He  died  at  the 
national  capitol,  July  19,  1807,  and  was  the  first  to  be  interred  in  the 
congressional  burying  ground. 


88 


Note  I. 


We  append  a  list  of  missionaries  raised  up  in  Franklin.  As  the  lists 
heretofore  published  have  been  more  or  less  inaccurate,  we  extend  the 
present  list  so  as  to  embrace  the  whole  of  the  original  town  of  Norwich. 


Year. 

Name. 

Mission. 

1761- 

—Rev.  Samson  Occum, 

Oneida. 

1766- 

—Rev.  Samuel  Kirtland, 

Oneida. 

1771- 

—Rev.  David  Avery, 

Oneida. 

1795- 

-Rev.  Eliphalet  Nott,  D.  D., 

Central  New  York. 

1806- 

-Rev.  John  Churchill  Rudd,  DD., 

Long  Island. 

18 12- 

—Rev.  Samuel  Nott,  Jr., 

Mahratta. 

l8l2- 

-Mrs.  Nott,  (Roxana  Peck,) 

Mahratta. 

l8l2- 

-Rev.  Eli  Hyde, 

Northern  New  York 

1819- 

—Rev.  Miron  Winslow, 

Ceylon. 

1819- 

—Mrs.  Winslow,  (Harriet  L.  Lathrop,) 

Ceylon. 

182O- 

-Rev.  William  Potter, 

Cherokee. 

1825- 

—Rev.  William  H.  Manwaring, 

Cherokee. 

1826- 

-Rev.  Anson  Gleason, 

Choctaw. 

1826- 

-Mrs.  Gleason,  (B.  W.  Tracy,) 

Choctaw. 

1827- 

-Mrs.  Gulic,  (Fanny  H.  Thomas,) 

Sandwich  Islands. 

1827- 

-Mrs.  Eli  Smith,  (Sarah  L.  Huntington,) 

Syria. 

1835- 

-Mrs.  Perry,  (Harriet  L.  Lathrop,) 

Ceylon. 

1835- 

-Rev.  James  T.  Dickinson, 

Singapore. 

1836- 

-Rev.  William  Tracy, 

Madura. 

1836- 

-Mrs.  Cherry,  (Charlotte  H.  Lathrop,) 

Madura. 

1839- 

-Mrs.  Brewer,  (Laura  L.  Giddings,) 

Oregon. 

1839- 

-Mrs.  Cherry,  (Jane  E.  Lathrop,) 

Ceylon. 

1840- 

-Rev.  Joshua  Smith, 

Africa. 

1844- 

-Miss  Lucinda  Downer, 

Choctaw. 

1844- 

-Miss  Susan  Tracy, 

Choctaw. 

1848- 

-Mrs.  C.  C.  Copeland,  (Cornelia  Ladd,) 

Choctaw. 

1849- 

-Miss  Eunice  Starr, 

Choctaw. 

1852- 

-Miss  Elizabeth  Backus, 

Choctaw. 

1852- 

-Mrs.  H.  B.  Haskell,  (Sarah  J.  Brewster,) 

Assyrian  Mission. 

1852- 

-Rev.  Nathan  L.  Lord,  M.  D., 

Ceylon. 

1855- 

-Rev.  William  Aitchison, 

China. 

l86o- 

-Rev.  William  F.  Arms, 

Bulgaria. 

89 

Note  J. 

The  Portipaug,  or  Norwich  Eighth  Society. 

A  history  of  West  Farms,  or  the  second  society  in  Norwich,  would 
evidently  be  incomplete  without  further  allusion  to  the  ecclesiastical 
history  of  the  eighth  society,  and  a  brief  sketch  of  that  organization 
will  now  be  attempted.  We  have  seen  that  a  bitter  sectional  contro- 
versy existed  in  the  second  society  for  a  period  of  about  twenty  years, 
during  which  time  the  second  church  edifice  was  erected,  near  the  site 
of  the  first,  in  the  face  of  fierce  and  constant  opposition ;  the  factious 
minority  adding  to  their  other  opposition,  threats  of  separation,  and 
frequently  petitioning  the  society  and  General  Assembly  to  that  effect. 
At  length,  both  parties  having  tired  of  agitation,  it  was  voted  in  society 
meeting,  in  1758,  "that  a  number  of  inhabitants  in  the  north-east  part 
of  the  Society  have  leave  to  withdraw  and  form  a  separate  organization." 
This  action  of  the  society  was  confirmed  in  1761,  when  what  was  ori- 
ginally the  north-eastern  section  of  the  second,  became  the  eighth  society 
in  Norwich.  The  boundary  lines  were  essentially  the  same  as  those  that 
have  existed  in  our  own  day.  The  eighth  society  held  its  first  meeting, 
June  29,  1761,  at  which  Capt.  Jacob  Hyde  was  chosen  Moderator, 
William  Brett,  Clerk,  and  Capt.  Jacob  Hyde,  Capt.  Benajah  Sabin  and 
Capt.  John  Fillmore,  a  committee. 

As  the  individuals  constituting  the  disaffected  party  counted  upon  a 
final  separation  as  only  a  question  of  time,  they  were  careful  to  secure 
the  material  composing  the  first  church  edifice  when  it  was  removed  to 
make  room  for  the  second.  This  was  subsequently  erected  upon  a  rise 
of  ground  a  short  distance  south-east  of  the  residence  of  Austin  Ladd, 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  highway.  A  church  evidently  had  been 
organized,  which  adopted  the  peculiarities  of  the  Separatists  of  that  day, 
a  number  of  years  anterior  to  the  legal  division  of  the  society  ;  for,  as 
early  as  Oct.  29,  1746,  Thomas  Denison  was  ordained  their  pastor, 
which  office  he  continued  to  hold  for  about  twelve  years.  This  Thomas 
Denison  is  said  to  have  been  the  owner  of  the  ground  upon  which  this 
first  meeting  house  was  erected.  Within  one  month  after  its  organiza- 
tion, July  21st,  1761,  the  society  voted  "to  concur  with  the  church  in 
extending  an  invitation  to  Rev.  Isaac  Foster  to  settle  in  the  work  of  the 
gospel  ministry  among  us  on  the  conditions  mentioned  in  the  warning." 
This  vote  was  rescinded  January  19th,  1762.  But  outside  troubles 
have  hardly  ceased  before  domestic  feuds  threaten  still  greater  difficulty. 
On  the  11th  of  June,  1762,   the  society  find  it  necessary  to  join  with 


9o 

the  church  in  mutual  council  concerning  the  difficulties  existing  in  their 
midst,  and  also  to  invoke   the   arbitration    of  the    General  Association. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  1763,  the  vote  of  invitation  to  Rev. 
Isaac  Foster  to  become  their  pastor  was  renewed,  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  repair  to  Harvard  and  Ipswich,  Mass.,  where  Mr.  Foster 
had  formerly  resided,  to  enquire  concerning  his  moral  character.  The 
investigations  of  their  committee  resulted  in  a  second  rescission  of  the 
invitation  to  Mr.  Foster*. 

It  was  next  voted,  May  9th,  1764,  to  invite  some  licensed  orthodox 
candidate  that  hath  been  liberally  educated,  to  preach  the  gospel  in  said 
society.  Soon  afterwards,  Rev.  Joseph  Denison  was  employed  for  a 
number  of  Sabbaths  to  supply  the  pulpit.  Mr.  Denison  had  graduated 
at  Yale  College  the  year  previous  and  stood  well  with  the  Separates. 
This  might  have  led  to  his  employment  here.  For  the  succeeding  two 
years  quite  a  number  of  young  men  were  employed  to  temporarily  sup- 
ply the  pulpit  rather  than  as  candidates  for  settlement.  Of  the  num- 
ber may  be  mentioned  Reverends  James  Treadway,  Ambrose  Collens, 
Ephraim  Judson,  Abner  Johnson  and  Thomas  Welles  Bray,  all  of  them 
recent  graduates  of  Yale  College, — also  Rev.  Joseph  Lee,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard.  It  is  thus  evident  that  they  were  in  favor  of  an  educated 
ministry. 

In  1766,  Rev.  Jesse  Ives,  also  a  graduate  of  Yale,  was  invited  to 
preach,  on  probation,  and  subsequently  settled  as  their  minister  with  an 
annual  salary  of  ninety-five  pounds,  one  half  in  money  and  the  remainder 
in  provisions.  To  this  sum  was  added  thirty  cords  of  good  fire  wood 
delivered  at  the  door  of  his  dwelling.  Although  Mr.  Ives  was  the 
only  settled  pastor  ever  enjoyed  by  the  eighth  society  as  such,  his  min- 
istry was  of  short  duration,  for  in  1770  his  salary  was  withheld  by  a 
vote  of  the  society,  and  shortly  afterwards  he  removed  to  Monson,  Mass. 

At  this  period  the  church,  which  partook  largely  of  the  Separate 
element,  became  very  feeble,  and  ere  long,  it  is  said,  ceased  to  exist  as 
a  distinct  organization.  And  although  the  society  had  early  manifested 
an  earnest  purpose  by  its  oft  repeated  votes  to  supply  the  stated  minis- 
trations of  the  gospel,  their  zeal  had  so  declined  that  in  1784  a  vote 
was  passed  to  dispose  of  the  meeting  house  to  raise  the  sum  of  four 
pounds,  lawful  money,  to  pay  the  remaining  liability  of  the  society  to 
Rev.  Jesse  Ives.       Two  years  later,    May,    1786,   this  eighth  society  in 


*  It  is  not  stated  what  the  charges  were  that  were  preferred  against  Mr 
Foster.  He  received  an  honorary  degree  of  A.  M.  from  Yale  College  in 
,1739,  and  from  Dartmouth  in  1778.     He  died  in  1794. 


9i 

Norwich  became  the  second  society  in  Franklin.  It  retained  a  nominal 
organization  by  meeting  annually  at  private  dwellings  for  the  choice  of 
society  officers,  till  the  close  of  the  last  century,  and  perhaps  somewhat 
later,  but  this  community  does  not  appear  to  have  enjoyed,  during  this 
period,  any  considerable  religious  privileges.  In  1798  an  initial  move- 
ment was  made  in  the  right  direction,  to  which  reference  will  again  be 
made. 

If  the  society,  as  an  ecclesiastical  organization,  was  barely  possessed 
of  vitality  sufficient  to  keep  it  in  being,  it  did  not  fail  to  exert  a  salutary 
influence  upon  the  four  school  districts  within  its  limits.  These  were 
respectively  called  the  "Jockey  Island,"  or  1st  district,  "  Portipaug," 
or  2d,  "  Woodtown,"  or  3d,  and  "  Great  Hill,"  or  the  4th.  These 
were  solely  under  its  charge  and  supervision,  and  it  is  believed  that  the 
society  herein  faithfully  discharged  its  obligations  to  the  community. 
The  society  also  voted  in  1767  to  instruct  the  committee  to  treat  with 
Capt.  Benajah  Sabin  for  a  plot  of  land  for  a  burying  ground.  This 
purchase  was  to  enlarge  a  plot  where  graves  had  already  been 
opened.  It  was  again  enlarged  in  1792.  This  cemetery,  the  only  one 
now  in  use  in  this  section  of  the  town,  has  recently  been  enlarged  and 
greatly  improved.  The  church,  which  was  taken  down  and  sold  to  Com- 
fort Fillmore,  in  1784,  and  which  was  used  by  him  in  the  construction  of 
his  dwelling,  was  substantially  the  same  building  that  had,  at  an  earlier 
period,  stood  upon  Meeting  House  Hill,  and  parts  of  this  same  rude 
edifice  were  brought  to  Meeting  House  Hill  from  the  Town  Plot  where 
they  had  originally  been  used  in  constructing  an  early  church  in  that 
locality. 

It  will  thus  appear  that  the  same  building  materials  which  constituted 
an  important  part  of  the  meeting  house  built  by  John  Elderkin,  at  the 
Town  Plot  in  1673,  entered  somewhat  largely  into  the  first  church  built 
upon  Meeting  House  Hill  more  than  forty  years  subsequent  to  that  date. 
This,  in  turn,  was  taken  down  and  re-erected  in  1746,  in  what  was 
afterwards  the  eighth  society  in  Norwich,  and  after  battling  with 
the  elements  for  nearly  forty  years  longer,  it  had  to  succumb  a  third 
time,  and  parts  of  it  were  finally  converted  into  a  dwelling  house,  where 
very  possibly  some  remnants  may  be  found  at  the  present  time. 

But  a  day  of  more  promise  is  destined  to  dawn  upon  this  community, 
for  in  1798,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  select  a  site  for  another 
meeting  house.  This  committee  reported  in  favor  of  the  corner  of  land 
then  belonging  to  the  Fox  heirs,  over  against  the  dwelling  of  Josiah  Tracy, 
3d,  and  that  one  acre  of  land  should  be  secured.  This  move  resulted 
in  a  free  church  that  was  erected  here  a  few  years  later  by  the  voluntary 


92 

contributions  of  individuals.*  The  seats  were  not  only  to  be  free,  but 
the  pulpit  was  to  be  open  for  all  denominations  of  christians.  Before 
this  house  was  ready  for  use,  and  perhaps  for  a  considerable  time  anterior 
to  that  period,  public  worship  had  been  more  or  less  regluarly  held  at 
private  dwellings  on  the  Sabbath. 

Although,  as  already  stated,  the  pulpit  was  to  be  open  for  all  denom- 
inations, it  was  almost  uniformly  and  uninterruptedly  improved  by  the 
Methodists  till  the  village  of  Baltic  sprung  up  upon  the  eastern  border 
of  the  town.  After  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Sprague,  in  1861, 
which  included  within  its  limits  a  large  portion  of  the  original  eighth 
society,  a  new  center  was  not  only  formed  for  business,  but  for  public 
worship  on  the  Sabbath  also.  As  a  result,  the  meeting  house  which  had 
been  statedly  occupied  on  the  Sabbath  for  more  than  forty  years,  was 
deserted,  and  finally  removed  and  its  foundations  razed  to  the   earth. 


*  This  church  was  completed  in  1815.  About  thirty  years  afterwards,  (in 
1844,)  the  late  Bailey  Ayer  generously  presented  the  society  with  the  means 
for  procuring  a  bell.  After  this  bell  had  pealed  forth  its  familiar  sounds 
from  the  church  tower  for  one-fourth  of  a  century,  and  after  it  had  ceased  to 
be  heard  in  its  original  locality,  it  was  secured  by  the  committee  of  the  first 
society  and  transferred  to  the  church  on  the  Hill,  where  it  now  regularly 
breaks  the  stillness  of  each  returning  Sabbath. 


Historical  Sermon, 


BY 


Rev.   Franklin   C.    Jones. 


The  Historical  Address  was  followed  by  the  singing  of 
the  anthem,  "  Blessed  are  the  people."  The  pastor,  Rev. 
Franklin  C.  Jones,  then  delivered  the  following 


Historical  Sermon. 


The  history  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  this  place, 
already  presented,  prepares  us  the  better  to  understand 
the  internal  history  of  the  church  itself.  To  sketch  the 
leading  features  of  this  history  is  the  object  of  the  present 
discourse. 

An  appropriate  motto  for  this  historic  epitome  occurs 
in  Isaiah  49 :  16 — "  Behold,  I  have  graven  thee  upon 

THE  PALMS  OF  MY  HANDS  ;    THY  WALLS  ARE  CONTINUALLY 
BEFORE    ME." 

These  words  beautifully  express  the  constancy  of  Jeho- 
vah's care  for  his  church.  It  is  the  object  of  his  unceasing 
regard.  By  day  and  by  night,  from  generation  to  genera- 
tion and  from  age  to  age  He  watches  it  for  its  safety 
and  seeks  its  prosperity.  The  history  of  the  church 
universal  is  a  continuous  illustration  of  these  words. 
And  not  only  so,  but  each  branch  of  that  vine  which  is  to 
overshadow  all  the  earth  enjoys  his  fostering  care.  Every 
particular  church  lives  and  grows  through  the  centuries, 
because  its  name  is  engraven  before  God.  Its  strength  is 
not  in  the  skill  and  courage  of  the  men  who  line  its 
battlements,  but  in  the  Almighty,  who  has  its  walls  con- 
tinually before  him.  Its  members  are  ever  dying,  but  the 
church  lives  on.      The  aged  oak  of  our  woods  is  to-day 


96 

preparing  to  shed  its  foliage  ;  and  so  it  has  done  in  each 
succeeding  autumn  for  centuries.  Yet  it  is  the  same  oak 
whose  dry  leaves  were  driven  before  the  November  blast, 
when  the  Pequot  and  Mohegan  still  roamed  a  pathless 
wilderness.  Four  generations  of  the  members  of  this 
church  have  lived  and  passed  away  ;  but  the  spiritual 
organism  to  which  they  belonged  still  lives,  and  we  of 
the  fifth  generation  are  united  to  all  who  have  gone  before 
us,  by  our  membership  in  this  living  body.  He  who 
founded  has  watched  over  it,  and  as  we  trace  its  life  we 
should  gratefully  acknowledge  his  loving  and  faithful 
care. 

The  second  Wednesday  and  eighth  day  of  October, 
171 8, — one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago, — was  an  impor- 
tant day  among  the  West  Farmers  of  the  town  of  Norwich. 
On  that  day  their  long  cherished  hope  of  having  a  church 
and  a  minister  of  their  own  was  fulfilled.  For  at  least 
eight  years  they  had  been  waiting  for  a  suitable  time  to 
accomplish  this.  They  were  people  who  loved  the  house 
of  God  ;  but  as  year  after  year  they  had  plodded  through 
mud  or  drifted  snow,  afoot  or  on  horse-back,  to  worship 
in  the  meeting  house  on  the  town  plot,  they  had  deeply 
felt  the  desirableness  of  having  a  sanctuary  more  easily 
accessible,  and  a  pastor  who  might  more  readily  find  and 
tend  his  flock.  In  the  year  17 16,  as  we  have  seen,  a 
favorable  opportunity  had  occurred  for  the  formation  of 
an  ecclesiastical  society.  This  was,  to  some  extent,  an 
experiment.  When  two  years  had  elapsed,  the  people  of 
the  West  Farms  felt  that  they  had  demonstrated  their 
ability  to  maintain  a  church  and  support  a  pastor  among 
themselves.  The  necessary  consent  of  the  colonial  gov- 
ernment was  obtained  by  a  petition  addressed  to  the  Gene- 
ral Court,  assembled  at  Hartford  in  May,  171 8.  Mr.  Henry 
Willes,  of  Windsor, — a  graduate  in  171 5  of  the  college  at 


97 

Saybrook,  which  was  soon  after  to  become  Yale  College  at 
New  Haven, — had  been  preaching  to  the  people  of  West 
Farms  for  a  year,  and  was  ready  to  accede  to  their  wish 
that  he  should  be  ordained  as  their  minister. 

On  the  eighth  of  October  a  church  was  formally  organ- 
ized* by  the  subscription  of  eight  persons  to  a  confession 
of  faith,  and  these  eight  on  the  same  day  proceeded  to 
ordain  one  of  their  number,  Henry  Willes,  as  their  pastor. 
Of  the  composition  of  the  council,  or  the  religious  exer- 
cises connected  with  these  acts,  we  know  nothing.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  among  the  ministers  present  on  this 
occasion  were  James  Noyes,  who  had  been  forty-four 
years  pastor  of  the  church  in  Stonington,  and  who  was 
then  much  the  oldest  pastor  in  eastern  Connecticut ; 
Eliphalet  Adams,  of  New  London  ;  Ephraim  Woodbridge, 
of  Groton  ;  Salmon  Treat,  of  Preston  ;  Samuel  Whiting, 
of  Windham,  and  Joseph  Parsons,  of  Lebanon.  There 
was  one,  however,  of  whose  presence  on  that  day  we  may 
be  almost  sure,  namely,  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Lord,  the  new 
and  youthful  pastor  of  the  parent  church  of  Norwich. 
He  must  have  been  a  college  companion  of  Mr.  Willes, 
having  graduated  one  year  before  him,  and  it  is  quite 
likely  that  through  his  instrumentality  Mr.  Willes  had 
first  been  invited  to  address  the  little  congregation  at  the 
West  Farms.  We  cannot  but  regret  that  no  record 
remains  of  the  religious  exercises  on  the  day  we  com- 
memorate. Perhaps  it  matters  little.  If  a  tree  lives  and 
bears  good  fruit,  the  inquiry  by  whom  it  was  set  out  is 
comparatively  unimportant.      Yet  we  should  be  glad  to 


*  The  original  records  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  give  the  date  of  Mr. 
Willes'  ordination  as  Oct.  8th.  It  is  not  positively  known  that  the  church 
was  organized  on  the  same  day,  but  there  are  various  reasons  for  believing  that 
such  was  the  case. 


98 

know  who  planted  the  tree  under  whose  spreading  boughs 
we  gather  to-day. 

Eight  women  joined  the  new  church  by  letter,  probably 
on  the  very  day  of  its  organization,  making  in  all  sixteen 
members.  Compared  with  the  nearly  nine  hundred  mem- 
bers who  have  since  belonged  to  this  church,  this  seems  a 
small  beginning.  But  it  is  not  the  part  of  the  wise  man 
to  despise  the  day  of  small  things.  In  the  living  acorn  is 
enwrapped  the  oak.  Doubtless  the  fathers  who  formed 
here  the  church  of  Christ  felt  that  they  were  laying  a 
foundation  for  many  generations.  They  were  like  men 
who  plant  an  orchard  and  think  that  their  children  and 
grandchildren  will  eat  of  its  fruit  when  they  are  in  their 
graves.  There  might  have  been  those  who  said  of  this 
little  church  planted  in  a  wilderness  yet  unsubdued, 
"  Even  that  which  they  build,  if  a  fox  go  up,  he  shall  even 
break  down  their  stone  wall."  The  work,  however,  was 
not  of  men,  but  of  God  ;  the  name  of  this  church  in  the 
wilderness  was  graven  before  him,  and  in  his  keeping  it 
has  stood  and  prospered. 

The  Confession  of  Faith  adopted  by  the  infant  church 
is  a  clearly  and  carefully  worded  document.  Its  Calvin- 
ism is  neither  "  moderate  "  nor  "  consistent,"  but  of  the 
highest  and  strictest  type.  The  language  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly's  Catechism  is  frequently  quoted,  and 
occasionally  that  of  the  Confession  of  1680.  On  the  sub- 
ject of  church  government  but  little  is  said,  and  that  little 
does  not  enable  us  to  determine  whether  the  sentiment  of 
the  new  organization  accorded  with  that  prevailing  in  the 
parent  church,  which  rejected  the  Saybrook  platform. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  Willes  embraces  a  period  of  thirty- 
two  years,  closing  in  1750.  Excepting  the  last  six  years, 
it  seems  to  have  been  a  time  of  prosperity  and  peaceful 


99 

growth  The  church  commenced  its  existence  in  a  season 
of  great  religious  declension  throughout  the  New  England 
colonies.  A  hundred  years  had  elapsed  since  the  first 
settlement  of  New  England.  The  religious  faith  and  zeal 
which  animated  the  Pilgrims,  were  wanting  among  many 
of  their  descendants.  Many  followed  them  to  the  New 
World  whose  motives  were  less  pure  and  elevated.  While 
the  churches  had,  perhaps,  lost  nothing  of  the  form  of 
orthodoxy  in  doctrine,  some  of  them  had  lost  much  of  the 
power  of  godliness.  The  union  of  church  and  state,  and 
the  extensive  adoption  of  the  "  half-way  covenant,"  had 
diminished  the  purity  of  many  churches,  and  broken  down 
the  barriers  which  must  ever  divide  the  true  people  of 
God  from  the  world.  Revivals  of  religion  were  rare  and 
of  very  limited  extent.  At  such  a  time  was  this  church 
founded,  and,  so  far  as  we  can  now  judge,  it  enjoyed  a 
remarkable  degree  of  spiritual  prosperity  in  its  early 
years,  being  blessed  with  more  frequent  revivals  of  reli- 
gion than  many  older  churches  of  the  colony.  For  a  period 
of  twenty-six  years,  from  its  organization  to  1744,  not  a 
year  passed  without  additions  to  its  number  on  profession 
of  faith.  During  that  time  there  were  three  periods  of 
special  religious  interest.  The  first  was  in  1721.  In  that 
year  there  occurred  a  remarkably  precious  and  powerful 
revival  in  Windham,  under  the  ministry  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Whiting,  in  which  eighty  persons  were  added  to 
the  church  in  that  town.  This  work  of  grace  was  the 
more  remarkable  from  the  general  religious  declension 
throughout  this  region.  The  influence  of  that  work  seems 
to  have  extended  into  the  town  of  Norwich,  and  both  the 
First  Church  and  that  of  West  Farms  shared  its  happy 
fruits. 

The    movement   known   as   the    "  Great   Awakening " 
appears  to  have  begun  as  early  as  1735,  though  the  new 


IOO 

interest  in  religion  did  not  become  general  until  some 
years  later.  In  that  year  there  were  revivals  of  marked 
interest  and  power  in  several  churches,  and  among  them 
was  the  church  in  this  place.  This  fact  is  significant  ot 
the  earnestness  and  pastoral  fidelity  of  its  minister.  As 
the  result  of  this  work  of  grace,  thirty-one  were  added 
to  the  church. 

Six  years  later,  at  a  time  when  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
extensively  poured  out  over  the  whole  land,  the  church 
was  blessed  with  a  revival  more  extensive  in  its  manifest 
results  than  any  other  ever  enjoyed  in  this  community. 
Within  the  space  of  a  little  more  than  one  year  (1741-42), 
one  hundred  persons  united  with  it  on  profession  of  faith. 
During  the  progress  of  this  work  the  strength  of  Mr. 
Willes  gave  way,  and  he  was  prostrated  for  several  weeks 
by  sickness.  But  other  trials  more  grievous  than  bodily 
illness  were  in  store  for  him.  He  was  to  see  the  peaceful 
growth  of  the  church  stayed  by  controversies,  partly 
religious  and  partly  secular.  A  period  of  nearly  forty 
years  now  passed,  in  which,  from  causes  both  internal  and 
external,  the  promise  of  its  early  years  was  interrupted. 
The  secular  causes  which  led  to  the  division  of  the  church, 
and  afterwards  of  the  society,  have  been  already  detailed. 
But,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  various  influences  conspired 
to  produce  the  result.  It  has  been  often  remarked  that 
there  is  nothing  about  which  men  will  fight  so  obstinately  as 
matters  of  religious  belief  and  observance.  The  truth  of 
this  saying  was  illustrated  in  this  place  a  little  more  than 
a  hundred  years  ago. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  good  accomplished  by  the 
revivals  of  the  Great  Awakening  was  not  unmixed  with 
evil.  There  was  much  of  fanatical  excitement  and  extrav- 
agance. Violent  outcries  and  bodily  contortions  were 
supposed  by  many  to  be  legitimate  signs  of  the  presence 


101 

of  the  Holy  Spirit.  A  class  of  ignorant  and  noisy  lay 
preachers  arose,  who  declaimed  against  the  ministry,  and 
aimed  only  to  excite  the  feelings  and  passions  of  their 
auditors.  These  disorders  were  lamented  and  opposed 
by  Edwards  and  others  of  the  wisest  leaders  of  the  work 
of  reformation,  as  well  as  by  the  regular  ministry  in  gen- 
eral. Some  of  the  clergy  were  led  to  look  with  suspicion 
on  the  whole  work,  because  of  the  disorders  attending  it. 
Others  acknowledged  the  agency  of  the  Spirit,  while  they 
also  held  that  He  could  not  be  the  author  of  confusion  and 
extravagance.  Of  this  class  seem  to  have  been  Mr. 
Willes,  the  pastor  of  this  church,  and  his  early  companion 
and  life-long  friend,  Dr.  Lord,  of  the  First  church  in  Nor- 
wich. In  each  of  these  churches,  however,  there  was  a 
party  who  espoused  the  views  of  those  known  as  Sepa- 
rates or  Separatists, — -a  denomination  who  professed  to 
hold  purer  doctrine,  and  to  be  more  strictly  congrega- 
tional in  their  government,  than  the  regular  churches. 
Many  churches  of  this  sect  were  formed  in  eastern  Con- 
necticut, by  parties  seceding  from  the  established  organ 
izations  ;  and  among  the  churches  thus  divided  were  the 
First  and  Second  of  Norwich.  That  in  this  society  was 
formed  probably  in  1746.  Thomas  Denison  was  ordained 
as  its  pastor  in  October  of  that  year.  But  discord  still 
prevailed  in  the  church,  which  ultimately  led  to  the  dis- 
mission of  Mr.  Willes  in  1750.  He  continued  to  reside 
here  until  his  death  in  1758.  His  funeral  sermon  was 
preached  by  Dr.  Lord.  Of  the  traits  of  his  character  or 
the  details  of  his  life  we  know  but  little.  His  name  sur- 
vives, and  the  general  evidence  that  he  was  a  faithful  and 
successful  minister.  More  than  this, — and  the  best  of  all, 
— his  work  survives.  The  church  which  he  aided  in 
founding,  and  which  grew  under  his  pastoral  care  to  such 
goodly  proportions,  still  lives  ;  and  could  we  see  all  the 
7 


102 

hidden  channels  of  moral  influence,  as  they  lie  before  the 
Omniscient  eye,  we  should  doubtless  perceive  among  us 
to-day  agencies  for  good  at  work,  which  might  be  traced 
back  to  the  labors  of  the  first  pastor  of  this  church.  The 
good  man's  work  never  dies.  He  may  pass  away  ;  the 
spot  where  his  dust  reposes  may  be  unknown  ;  his  very 
name  may  sink  into  oblivion,  but  his  work  lasts.  The 
good  which  he  has  done  is  his  everlasting  memorial. 

During  a  period  of  nearly  three  years  following  the 
dismission  of  Mr.  Willes,  the  pulpit  was  supplied  by 
various  ministers,  great  pains  being  taken  to  hear  none 
but  orthodox  preachers.  In  December,  1752,  Mr.  John 
Ellis,  a  native  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  and  a  graduate  of 
Harvard  college  in  the  class  of  1750,  was  invited  to  preach 
as  a  candidate.  In  February,  1753,  he  received  a  call  to 
settle  as  pastor,  the  vote  of  the  society  in  relation  to  it 
being  fifty-eight  in  the  affirmative  and  forty-nine  in  the 
negative.  This  record  is  sufficient  evidence  that  dissen- 
sions still  continued  in  the  parish,  and  Mr.  Ellis  must  have 
been  a  man  of  considerable  resolution  to  accept  the  call 
under  such  circumstances.  He  was  ordained  in  1753,  and 
held  the  office  of  pastor  for  twenty-six  years.  As  he  left 
no  records,  but  little  can  now  be  known  of  the  history  of 
the  church  under  his  ministry.  It  was  evidently  not  a 
peaceful  or  prosperous  one.  In  the  parish  there  was  great 
discrepancy  of  views  as  to  matters  of  doctrine  and  church 
government ;  and  the  excitement  and  financial  embar- 
rassment connected  with  the  political  condition  of  the 
country,  was  unfavorable  to  the  prosperity  of  religion. 
Among  the  pastor's  trials  were  those  arising  from  extreme 
poverty,  and  the  neglect  or  inability  of  the  society  to 
relieve  his  wants. 

In  this  connection  honorable  mention  should  be  made 
of  the  self-sacrificing  patriotism  of  Mr.  Ellis.     He  took  a 


103 

lively  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  country,  and  cheer- 
fully shared  with  his  people  the  burdens  of  war.  In  1775 
he  relinquished  one  hundred  pounds  of  his  salary,  in  con- 
sideration, as  he  says  in  a  letter  still  preserved,  of  the 
burdens  which  had  come  upon  his  people  in  aiding  to  fit 
out  the  expedition  to  Crown  Point.  In  the  Revolution 
also,  Mr.  Ellis  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  independ- 
ence, and  entered  the  army  as  a  chaplain  in  1775.  In 
this  office  he  served  until  the  conclusion  of  the  war.  Two 
of  his  sons  also  went  into  the  army  with  him.  With  his 
enlistment  in  the  public  service  his  pastorate  practically 
ceased,  although  the  pastoral  relation  was  not  dissolved 
until  1779. 

Although  it  was  the  lot  of  Mr.  Ellis  to  labor  in  troublous 
times,  and  amid  multiplied  discouragements,  not  less  than 
seventy  persons  were  added  to  the  church  during  his 
ministry, — a  large  number,  if  we  consider  the  state  of  the 
church  and  of  the   country. 

Another  period  of  three  years  now  passed,  in  which 
this  flock  was  without  a  shepherd.  We  come  down  to  the 
year  1782,  in  which  our  revolutionary  struggle  closed  vic- 
toriously,— a  year  of  hope  and  rejoicing  throughout  the 
land,  and  also  one  of  auspicious  omens  for  this  parish. 
In  March  of  that  year  a  third  pastor  was  ordained  and 
installed  over  this  church,  whose  ministry  was  destined  to 
reach  the  almost  unprecedented  length  of  seventy  years, 
whose  name  is  still  as  ointment  poured  forth  in  this  com- 
munity, and  whose  influence  will  be  seen  and  felt  here  for 
many  years  to  come.  It  was  high  time  that  the  vacant 
pastorate  should  be  filled.  The  church  had  been,  in  effect 
without  a  pastor  during  the  whole  period  of  the  war. 
The  Sabbath  services  had  been  much  interrupted,  the 
members  of  the  church  were  scattered,  and  spiritual 
religion  was  at  a  low  ebb.      At  this  juncture  there  was 


104 

need  of  a  minister  earnest  and  energetic,  to  gather  together 
the  scattered  flock  and  rebuild  the  desolations  of  Zion. 
Such  an  one  was  sent  here  in  the  person  of  Samuel  Nott, 
a  native  of  Saybrook,  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  College  in 
1780.  He  was  licensed  at  Durham  in  1781,  and  com- 
menced preaching  in  this  place  in  October  of  the  same 
year.  His  ordination  occurred  in  March,  1782.  From  the 
beginning  he  gave  himself  with  characteristic  energy  to 
the  labors  of  the  ministry.  For  several  years  after  his 
settlement  his  health  was  so  feeble  that  no  one  would  have 
ventured  to  predict  for  him  a  long  career.  But  his  phys- 
ical strength  gradually  improved,  and  during  his  long 
ministry  he  was  very  rarely  prevented  by  sickness  from 
the  performance  of  official  duty.  That  ministry  was,  from 
the  beginning,  one  of  marked  success.  He  has  left  inter- 
esting memoirs  of  it  in  two  published  sermons,  whose 
statements  need  not  be  recapitulated  here.  At  the  time 
of  his  settlement  the  church  numbered  seventy-two.  The 
number  received  into  it  by  him  was  four  hundred  and 
twenty-seven.  For  forty  years  there  was  no  very  marked 
revival  of  religion,  but  there  were  almost  constant  acces- 
sions to  the  church.  With  Dr.  Nott  it  seems  to  have 
been  always  seed-time  and  always  harvest.  By  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Spirit  he  was  ever  reaping  what  he  had  sown 
in  earlier  years,  and  ever  sowing  what  he  was  to  reap  in 
the  years  to  come.  The  years  1821,  1831,  and  1843,  were 
marked  by  special  outpourings  of  the  Spirit,  and  large 
additions  to  the  church. 

Of  Dr.  Nott's  characteristics  as  a  man  and  a  preacher, 
it  is  difficult  for  one  who  had  no  personal  acquaintance 
with  him  to  speak  to  those  who  were  familiar  with  his 
character  and  life.  His  image  will  rise  vividly  before  the 
minds  of  many  of  you  who  have  gathered  here  to-day,  as 
associated  with  much  that  is  most  precious  and  most  hal- 


ios 

lowed  in  the  memories  of  by-gone  years.  Here  are  those 
to  whom  in  infancy  the  seal  of  God's  covenant  was  applied 
by  his  hand ;  those  who  even  in  childhood  learned  to  ven- 
erate, and  at  the  same  time  to  love  him  ;  those  who  by 
him  were  united  in  the  sacred  bonds  of  marriage ;  those 
who  at  the  funeral  of  many  a  loved  one  listened  to  his 
words  of  instruction  and  sympathy ;  those  who  felt 
honored  in  receiving  him  as  a  guest  in  their  houses  ;  those 
who  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  were  led  by  him  to  the  throne 
of  grace,  and  heard  the  divine  word  clearly  and  faithfully 
explained  ;  some  who  went  to  him  in  periods  of  trial  and 
perplexity  for  counsel,  and  received  sage  advice,  for  which 
they  have  never  ceased  to  bless  God  and  revere  his  ser- 
vant ;  and  many  whose  opinions  and  character  to-day  bear 
the  clear  impress  of  his  sound  and  faithful  teachings. 

As  a  man,  Dr.  Nott  was  distinguished  for  his  energy 
and  decision  of  character.  The  circumstances  in  which 
he  obtained  his  education  illustrate  this.  Until  he  was 
twenty  years  old  his  life  was  passed  in  mechanical  labor. 
Then,  with  little  to  depend  upon  but  his  own  exertions, 
he  resolved  to  secure  an  education  ;  and  through  many 
embarrassments  he  persevered  until  the  end.  So  in  his 
ministry,  whatever  he  did  was  done  heartily  and  with  a 
will,  and  the  momentum  of  his  own  determination  carried 
others  along  with  him.  For  punctuality  he  might  be 
ranked  with  General  Washington  himself.  He  came  and 
went,  began  and  ended  by  the  clock,  and  expected  others 
to  do  the  same. 

He  was  a  man  of  great  industry.  "  One  duty  follows 
another,"  was  his  motto,  and  he  was  ready  for  each  duty 
as  it  came  round.  He  accomplished  a  larger  amount  of 
labor  than  many  others,  because  he  kept  doing  while  other 
men  were  resting  or  deciding  what  to  do.  His  working 
power  was  increased  by  his  remarkable   cheerfulness  of 


io6 

spirit,  the  result  both  of  his  native  temperament  and  of 
his  christian  faith.  With  unusual  serenity  of  soul  he 
passed  through  the  many  domestic  and  public  trials 
appointed  to  him,  maintaining  habitually  that  rare  quali- 
fication for  usefulness,  "  a  heart  at  leisure  from  itself."  In 
addition  to  his  ministerial  labors  and  the  cares  of  a  large 
family,  he  gave  instruction  for  many  years  to  young  men 
placed  in  his  household.  He  fitted  many  for  college,  and 
not  a  few  ministers  received  their  theological  training 
with  him.     Thus  he  became  "a  maker  of  public  men." 

He  was  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  discreet  in  dealing 
with  men,  and  in  managing  the  affairs  of  his  parish  ;  pos- 
sessing much  of  that  common  sense,  which  is  often  worth 
more  than  learning  or  eloquence,  and  without  which  the 
wisest  will  often  play  the  fool  ;  skilled  in  estimating  men 
and  things  at  their  true  value.  He  was  also  of  a  highly 
affectionate  and  social  disposition,  entering  readily  into 
the  joys  and  sorrows  of  others,  even  to  the  last  of  life  ;  and 
having  a  peculiar  aptness  in  introducing  religious  themes 
in  conversation.  "  He  was  a  man,"  says  Dr.  McEwen, 
"  whose  social  affections  never  wore  out.  Rarely  has  a 
verv  asred  minister  lived  who,  having  buried  his  genera- 
tion,  could  be  so  social,  so  happy,  and  so  useful  among 
survivors." 

As  a  preacher,  Dr.  Nott  has  been  thus  described  by  one 
who  was  a  native  of  this  town  and  who  knew  him  well. 
"  His  sermons  were  marked  by  great  simplicity  of  thought 
and  style,  and  were  devoted  to  the  inculcation  of  the 
great  doctrines  and  duties  of  religion.  He  was  not  learned, 
but  had  a  quick  and  strong  sense,  an  imagination  of  suffi- 
cient power  to  illustrate  his  thoughts  often  by  bold  figures, 
and  a  tenderness  and  fervor  of  feeling  that  gave  them  a 
deep  impression  on  his  hearers.  He  never  indulged  in 
abstruse  speculation,  nor  wasted  his  efforts  on  trifles.      In 


the  pulpit  he  was  grave,  dignified,  earnest  and  impressive, 
and  had  eminently  the  air  of  an  ambassador  of  God. 
When  animated,  his  attitude  and  air  often  became  com- 
manding, and  occasionally  thoughts  and  emotions  flashed 
from  his  lips  that  were  strikingly  beautiful  and  impressive. 
In  prayer  he  was  simple,  pertinent,  and  fervid,  and  he  read 
the  Scriptures  with  unusual  propriety  and  force."* 

This  church  has  great  reason  to  bless  God  that  such  a 
man  was  given  to  it  for  so  many  years  of  usefulness,  as  its 
teacher  and  guide.  As  it  was  a  privilege  to  enjoy  his 
ministrations,  so  the  recollection  of  his  faithful  teachings 
and  his  faithful  life  should  make  us  all  stronger  and  more 
true  to  the  work  which  God  has  assigned  us. 

At  the  age  of  ninety-three  Dr.  Nott  was  no  longer  able 
to  perform  the  stated  duties  of  the  ministry,  and  Mr. 
George  J.  Harrison  was  ordained  as  Associate  Pastor  in 
March,  1849.  ^r-  Harrison  is  a  native  of  Branford,  and 
a  graduate  of  Union  College  and  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary.  His  pastorate  closed  in  October,  1851.  In 
the  month  of  May  succeeding,  (1852),  Dr.  Nott,  at  the  age 
of  ninety-eight,  passed  away  to  his  reward. 

The  fifth  pastor  of  the  church  was  Rev.  Jared  R.  Avery. 
He  was  educated  at  Williams  College  and  Auburn  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  was  installed  as  pastor  in  March, 
1854.  The  following  year  was  marked  by  a  revival,  as 
the  fruits  of  which  thirty-one  were  added  to  the  church. 
Mr.  Avery  was  dismissed  in  December,  i860. 

The  present  pastor  commenced  preaching  to  this  con- 
gregation in  September,  1861,  and  was  ordained  February 
4th,  1863. 

This  historic  review  should  impress  us  with  our  respon- 
sibility, both  for  the  religious  privileges  we  enjoy,  and  for 

*  See  Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American  Pulpit,  Vol.  II,  p.  190,  &c. 


io8 

the  fulfillment  of  the  duties  we  owe  to  the  Redeemer's 
kingdom.  From  the  generations  past  a  precious  inheri- 
tance has  been  handed  down  to  us, — to  pass  on  through 
our  hand  to  generations  yet  to  come.  We  should  do 
something  to  enhance  its  value  before  we  leave  it  to  those 
who  shall  come  after.  Bonaparte  kindled  the  martial 
ardor  of  his  troops  on  the  plains  of  Egypt  by  the  cry, 
"  From  the  summits  of  these  pyramids  forty  centuries 
look  down  upon  you."  In  a  truer  and  nobler  sense  it  may 
be  said  to  us, — Four  generations  of  those  who  here  have 
toiled  and  prayed  for  the  promotion  of  Christ's  kingdom, 
look  down  upon  you,  to  behold  your  fidelity  to  that  sacred 
standard  which  they  have  upheld  in  many  a  conflict  and 
now  have  bequeathed  to  you.  Majr  the  remembrance  of 
this  cloud  of  witnesses  stimulate  us  to  fidelity  in  the  work 
of  God.  May  this  commemorative  day  be  not  only  one 
of  joyous  re-union  and  of  hallowed  memories,  but  one  also 
of  re-consecration  to  the  service  of  Christ. 


First  Creed  of  the  Church, 


ADOPTED  AT  ITS  ORGANIZATION,  1718. 


We  believe  that  there  is  one  God,  who  is  infinite,  eternal  and  un- 
changeable in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness  and 
truth;  distinguished  into  three  persons,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  same  in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory,  and 
infinitely  happy  and  blessed  in  the  enjoyment  of  himself. 

The  Scriptures  are  the  very  and  infallible  word  of  God,  containing 
all  things  necessary  to  salvation,  being  a  perfect  rule  to  direct  and. teach 
us  what  to  believe  and  how  to  live. 

God,  from  all  eternity,  hath  decreed  all  things  that  come  to  pass  in 
time. 

In  the  beginning  God  made  all  things  very  good,  and  that  in  the 
space  of  six  days,  by  the  word  of  his  power  alone,  and  man  in  his  own 
image  and  after  his  own  likeness,  with  dominion  of  the  creatures,  whose 
body  he  made  of  the  earth,  into  which  he  infused  a  rational  soul  or 
spirit,  made  immediately  of  nothing  ;  and  he  does,  by  his  most  holy, 
wise  and  powerful  providence,  govern,  guide  and  dispose  of  all  creatures 
and  things  that  he  hath  made,  according  to  his  sovereign  and  most 
absolute  will  and  good  pleasure. 

Man,  as  he  came  out  of  the  hands  of  God,  was  perfect  and  holy  and 
happy  ;  the  estate  wherein  he  was  created  was  a  sinless  and  blessed 
state.  But  he  fell  from  it  into  an  estate  of  sin  and  misery  by  sinning 
against  God  ;  for  our  first  parents,  being  left  to  the  freedom  of  their 
own  will,  hearkened  to  the  temptation  of  the  Devil  and  eat  of  the  tree  of 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  contrary  to  the  command  of  God ;  hence, 
sin  entered  into  the  world,  and  death,  temporal,  spiritual  and  eternal 
by  sin  ;  for  Adam  being  constituted  by  God  a  public  person,  or  one  to 
act  not  only  for  himself  but  also  for  all  his  posterity,  hence  his  sin  and 
guilt  became  theirs. 

Original  sin,  which  consists  in  the  want  of  original  righteousness,  and 
the  corruption  of  the  whole  nature  of  man,  constitutes,  in  part,  the 
punishment  of  the  first  transgression,  and  hence  arise  all  those  actual 
transgressions  which  proceed  from  it. 


I  IO 

God,  of  his  mere  good  pleasure,  elected  some  of  the  fallen  children 
of  men  to  everlasting  life,  and  purposes  to  bring  them  out  of  the  estate 
of  sin  and  misery  into  an  estate  of  grace  and  salvation   by  a  Redeemer. 

The  Redeemer  of  God's  elect  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  eternal 
Son  of  God,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  who  in  executing  the  Covenant 
of  Redemption  made  between  God  the  Father  and  himself,  in  due 
time  became  man  by  taking  to  himself  a  true  body  and  a  reasonable 
soul,  and  so  was,  and  continued  to  be,  two  distinct  natures  in  one 
person,  forever. 

Christ  purchased  salvation  for  the  elect,  or  paid  the  price  of  their 
redemption  unto  God,  by  his  active  and  passive  obedience  to  the  law  in 
their  stead  and  as  their  surety ;  and,  as  their  Redeemer,  sustains  and 
executes  the  offices  of  a  Prophet,  of  a  Priest,  and  of  a  King.  As  a 
priest,  he  died  for  them,  and  therein  offered  the  sacrifice  of  himself  unto 
God  for  them,  and  makes  intercession  in  heaven  for  them.  As  a 
prophet,  he  reveals  the  will  of  God  and  the  way  of  life  to  them,  in  his 
Word  and  by  his  Spirit.  As  a  King,  he  rose  again  from  the  dead,  by  his 
own  power  delivering  himself  out  of  the  hands  of  death,  and  freeing 
himself  from  the  power  of  the  grave,  and  in  a  glorious  and  triumph- 
ant manner  ascended  up  to  heaven  and  set  him  down  at  the  right 
hand  of  God  the  Father,  and  will  judge  the  world  at  the  last  day,  and 
subdues  his  people  to  himself,  and  restrains  and  conquers  all  his  and 
their  enemies. 

Those  that  are  elected  are  in  due  time  effectually  called.  Effectual 
calling  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit  which,  by  convincing  us  of  our  sin  and 
misery,  enlightening  our  minds  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ  and  renewing 
our  wills,  doth  persuade  and  enable  us  to  embrace  Jesus  Christ  freely 
offered  unto  us  in  the  gospel.  This  embracing  of  Jesus  Christ  is  saving 
faith,  which  faith  is  the  great  condition  of  salvation,  and  is  ever  accom- 
panied with  true  repentance. 

All  that  are  effectually  called  are  justified,  adopted,  and  in  this  life 
sanctified,  and  glorified  in  the  life  to  come.  Those  that  are  effectually 
called  cannot  either  totally  or  finally  fall  from  grace. 

After  death  the  bodies  of  men  return  to  dust  and  see  corruption,  and 
their  souls  to  God,  who  gave  them.  The  souls  of  the  righteous  being 
then  made  perfect  in  holiness,  do  immediately  pass  into  glory ;  their 
bodies  being  still  united  to  Christ,  do  rest  in  their  graves  till  the  resur- 
rection. And  the  souls  of  the  wicked  are  cast  into  Hell,  and  there  are 
reserved  in  chains  of  darkness  till  the  judgment  of  the  great  day,  when 
the  souls  and  bodies  of  men  will  be  re-united,  and  the  righteous  will  be 
raised  up  in  glory  and  shall  be  openly  acquitted  and  made  perfectly 
happy  in    the  enjoyment  of  God  forever ;   and  then  the  wicked  shall  be 


1 1 1 

filled  with  shame  and  contempt,  and  at  the  day  of  judgment  shall  meet 
the  awful  sentence  of  eternal  damnation,  and  shall  be  banished  from  the 
face  and  presence  of  Christ  forever  into  outer  darkness,  where  they  shall 
be  tormented  soul  and  body  with  fire  and  brimstone. 

Concerning  a  particular  church,  we  believe  that  it  is  a  specific  branch 
of  a  visible  Catholic  Church  of  Christ,  consisting  of  several  persons 
(who  are  the  members  thereof,)  joining  together  to  worship  God  in  all 
the  ways  of  his  institution,  or  in  all  gospel  ordinances.  Church  members 
have  power  of  electing  church  officers,  and  when  they  have  chosen  them, 
ought  to  submit  to  them  according  to  the  rules  of  Christ,  who  is  the  King 
and  head  of  the  Catholic,  and  so  of  every  particular  church. 

Concerning  the  Sacraments  of  the  New  Testament,  we  believe  them 
to  be  two;  viz..  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  both  of  which  are  to 
be  administered  in  every  particular  church  of  Christ  by  the  ministers  of 
the  word  ;  and  they  are  holy  ordinances  instituted  by  Christ,  wherein, 
by  sensible  signs,  Christ  and  the  benefits  of  his  death  are  represented, 
sealed,  and  applied  to  believers. 

Baptism  is  a  sacrament  wherein  the  washing  with  water  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  doth  signify  and  seal  our  engraft- 
ing into  Christ  and  partaking  of  the  Covenant  of  Grace,  and  our  en- 
gagement to  be  the  Lord's.  Baptism  is  to  be  administered  to  visible 
believers   and  their  seed. 

The  Lord's  Supper  is  a  sacrament  or  holy  ordinance  instituted  of 
Christ,  wherein  by  giving  and  receiving  bread  and  wine,  according  to 
the  appointment  of  Christ,  his  death  is  showed  forth,  and  they  that 
worthily  receive  it,  or  partake  as  they  ought,  do  therein  by  faith  receive 
Christ  himself,  and  in  a  spiritual  manner  feed  upon  his  body  and  blood, 
broken  and  shed  upon  the  cross  for  them,  and  so  held  forth,  represented 
and  offered  thereby. 

In  testimony  of  our  belief  of  the  aforesaid  Confession  or  Articles  of 
faith,  we  subscribe  : — 

Henry  Willes,  Thomas  Hazzen, 

David  Hartshorne,  Samuel  Edgerton, 

Nathl.  Rudd,  Samuel  Ladd, 

Joseph   Kingsbury,  Joseph  Kingsbury,  Jun. 

Note. — A  second  Confession  of  Faith,  with  a  form  of  Covenant  an- 
nexed, was  adopted  by  the  church  soon  after  the  commencement  of  Dr. 
Nott's  ministry.  It  was,  substantially,  the  same  as  the  first,  but  much 
more  concisely  written,  and  was  probably  drawn  by  Dr.  Nott  himself. 
Much  of  the  phraseology  of  this  Confession  having  become  obsolete,  a 
third  Confession  of  Faith  and  Covenant  was  adopted  by  the  church, 
Nov.  5,   1865. 


Deacons   of   the   Church. 


1718 — Joseph  Kingsbury,  *  1 741. 

1718 — David  Hartshorne,      •  ^1738, 

1735 — Feb.  20, — Joseph  Kingsbury,  Jun.,  *17S7' 
1735 — Feb.  20, — John  Durkee, 

1759 — Barnabas  Huntington,  *  1 787. 

1770 — Ephraim  Kingsbury,  *ijj2. 

1777 — Joseph  Hunt,  *1786. 

1786— Mar.  10, — Joshua  Willes,  *i8 1 5. 
1787 — June  27, — Isaac  Johnson. 
1807 — Jan.  2, — Phinehas  Corwin. 

1815 — May  6, — Azariah  Huntington,  *  1 8 3 3. 

1816— May  3,— Samuel  Allen,  *i826. 

1824— Dec.  30,— Dyer  McCall,  ^1838. 

1832 — May  4, — Joseph  Willes,  *i86o. 

1842 — Mar.  4, — Nathaniel  C.  Greenslit,  *i854. 

1852 — Mar.  5, — Benjamin  S.  Hastings,  *  1 859. 
1853 — July  3, — Ashbel  Woodward. 
1859 — Sept.  2, — Henry  N.  Smith. 


Intermission. 


At  the  close  of  the  Historical  Sermon,  Rev.  Elisha  C. 
Jones,  of  Southington,  led  in  prayer,  after  which  the  choir 
sang  the  hymn — 

"  Lord  God  of  Hosts,  by  all  adored  ! 
Thy  name  Ave  praise  with  one  accord  ; 
The  earth  and  heavens  are  full  of  thee, 
Thy  light,  thy  love,  thy  majesty." 

The  audience  were  then  invited  to  adjourn  to  the  adjacent 
town  house,  where  the  committee  on  collation,  aided  by 
the  ladies  of  the  society,  had  provided  a 

COLLATION 

with  bounteous  abundance.  Tables  were  arranged  leno-th- 
wise  of  the  building  and  loaded  with  ham,  tongue,  beef, 
sandwiches,  biscuit  spread  with  yellow  Franklin  butter, 
huge  slices  of  Franklin  cheese,  and  pies  and  cakes  in  great 
profusion.  The  ladies  were  determined  to  convince  the 
returning  wanderers  that  the  old-time  Franklin  hospitality 
had  suffered  no  decline,  and  that  the  tempting  culinarv 
arts  of  their  mothers  had  been  carefully  preserved  ;  and 
no  one  questioned  their  success. 

After  the  collation,  about  an  hour  was  devoted  to  social 
converse,  and  many  were  the  glad  surprises  which  we 
noticed,  as  early  friends  unexpectedly  met  each  other,  and 
many  the  smiling  faces  as  circles  of  former  youthful  inti- 
mates found  themselves  once  more  united.  We  saw  one 
elderly  gentleman  running  about  with   the  eager  hilarity 

of  a  boy,   and  searching  for  Capt. ,  whom  he  had 

not  seen  since  they  had  played  "  H'  I  spy "  together, 
around  the  wall  of  Deacon  Willes'  barnyard,  fifty-three 
years  ago  the  previous  April. 


ii4 

The  celebration  probably  produced  a  more  general  re- 
union of  her  absent  children  than  Franklin  had  ever  before 
witnessed.  Not  a  few  had  come  from  distant  states  to  be 
present  at  this  occasion,  and  some  were  here  who  had 
never  re-visited  the  town  since  their  first  departure  from 
it,  many  years  ago.  The  pleasure  manifested  by  all  these 
at  being  again  among  familiar  sights  and  places,  was  a 
happy  illustration  of  the  force  of  local  attachment  and  of 
the  strength  of  the  ties  stretching  from  New  England 
through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the   land. 

At  three  o'clock  the  bell  again  summoned  to  the  church 
to  the  exercises  of  the  afternoon. 


Afternoon   Exercises. 


The  exercises  of  the  afternoon  were  opened  with  the 
singing  of  the  anthem,  "  Once  more  this  day." 

The  pastor  then  read  the  following  letter  from  the  Hon. 
LaFayette  S.  Foster. 

Norwich,  Oct.  12,  1868. 

My  Dear  Sir : — I  am  exceedingly  sorry  not  to  be  with  you  to-mor- 
row. It  is  impossible  for  me  not  to  be  much  interested  in  this  celebra- 
tion. Franklin  is  my  birthplace  ;  those  years  of  my  life  in  which  we 
form  the  strongest  local  attachments,  were  passed  there,  my  maternal 
ancestors  for  several  generations  are  buried  there,  many  of  my  best  and 
earnest  recollections  center  there. 

That  I  should  be  unable  to  be  present  and  take  some  part  in  the 
exercises  of  the  day  is,  I  assure  you,  a  matter  of  sincere  regret.  I  trust 
and  believe  that  your  meeting  may  be  both  pleasant  and  profitable,  and 
that  in  recurring  to  the  past,  the  present  generation  may  be  stimulated 
to  copy  the  examples  of  the  wise  and  good  who  have  gone  before  them, 
and  so  add  luster  to  the  history  of  the  town  which  gave  us  birth.  With 
kind  and  cordial  greetings  to  the  natives  of  our  town,  and  to  all  who 
may  join  in  the  celebration, 

My  dear  sir,  very  truly  yours, 

Lafayette  s.  foster. 

Dr.   A.  Woodward. 

The  following  letter  from  Bela  Edgerton  was  then 
read  : — 

Hicksville,  Ohio,  Sept.  17,  1868. 

Ashbel  Woodward,  Esq. — Your  note  and  the  invitation  to  be  present 
at  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  church  and  society  of 
Franklin,  has  been  duly  received.  I  greatly  regret  that  I  cannot  be 
present,  as  it  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  visit  my  native  town  once 


u6 

more.  But  my  age  and  the  infirmities  incident  to  it  forbid  such  a 
journey.  That  you  may  have  a  happy,  good,  and  glorious  time  is  my 
earnest  prayer.      Permit  me  to  offer  a  sentiment : — 

"Franklin — The  grave  of  my  ancestors,  the  home  of  my  childhood, 
the  abode  of  a  virtuous  and  honored  people,  long  may  their  example 
be  cherished,  their  puritan  piety  maintained  unimpaired,  and  generations 
yet  unborn  follow  the  bright  example. 

I  am,  sir,  respectfully  yours, 

B.  EDGERTON. 
N.  B. — I  am  now  eighty-two  years  old  the  present  month. 

B.  E. 

The  following  letter  from  the  Rev.  C.  H.  Chester  was 
next  read : — 

Geneva,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  7,  1868. 

Mr.  Ashbel  Woodward,  Chairman,  &c. 

Dear  Sir. — I  thank  you  for  the  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  one 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Congregational  church  and 
society  of  Franklin.  The  name  awakens  pleasant  memories.  Though 
not  myself  a  native  of  Franklin,  but  of  Norwich,  it  was  the  birth-place 
of  my  sainted  mother,  and  the  home  of  my  grand-parents. 

Well  do  I  remember,  looking  back  more  than  forty  years,  the  old 
"  meeting  house  on  the  hill,"  plain  even  to  plainness  in  its  form  and 
finish — no  steeple,  no  bell  the  main  entrance  on  the  side  fronting  the 
green  ;  a  door  in  each  end;  large,  Square,  and  high-backed  pews,  made 
of  chestnut  wood,  unpainted,  and  neither  oiled  nor  varnished  ;  the  pul 
pit  high  and  narrow,  with  long  winding  stairs,  trimmed  with  velvet ; 
the  sounding-board  on  which  I  see  now  the  quaint  old  figures,  1 745  ; 
the  galleries,  (I  recollect  them  well,)  extending  around  three  sides  of 
the  house,  spacious  and  generally  empty,  a  fine  place  for  the  tired  farmer 
boys  to  stretch  themselves  out  and  have  a  good  sleep  ;  the  choir  directly 
in  front  of  the  pulpit  and  over  the  main  entrance,  where,  conspicuous, 
was  that  good  man,  Deacon  Willes,  with  his  tuning  pipe  ;  and  that  ven- 
erable man  of  God,  so  slender,  so  spry,  so  queer  in  his  dress — all  these 
things  are  brought  vividly  to  my  recollection  to-day.  They  have  all 
passed  away.      They  live  only  in  our  memories. 

Allow  me  to  note  an  incident  connected  with  what,  it  seems  to  me, 
is  the  central  figure  in  this  celebration.  It  is  a  simple  one,  but  it  may 
serve  to  recall  to  some  minds  the  long-lived  and  long-loved  pastor  of 
other  days. 


H7 

I  was  walking  down  the  long  hill  leading  from  the  meeting  house,  and 
had  come  to  the  foot  of  it,  when,  on  looking  before  me,  I  saw  the  ven- 
erable Dr.  in  his  buggy,  approaching  me.  Between  him  and  me  were 
the  school  children  who  had  just  been  let  out  for  the  night.  As  he 
came  up  to  them  he  reined  in  his  horse,  and,  removing  his  broad- 
brimmed  hat  from  his  head,  he  passed  slowly  through  the  ranks,  waving 
it  first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  and  so  received  the  respectful 
and  loving  salutations  of  the  young  ones.  It  was  a  picture  of  patri- 
archal simplicity  and  grace  which  made  an  ineffaceable  impression  on 
my  mind. 

The  old  church  has  been,  I  am  told,  replaced  by  a  new  one.  There 
is  a  new  pastor,  and,  of  course,  since  I,  a  boy,  used  to  visit  the  place, 
a  new  congregation.      "  The  fathers,  where  are  they  ?" 

May  God  bless  both  pastor  and  people,  and  make  your  anticipated 
gathering  a  holy  convocation,  fraught  with  pleasant  memories,  and  full 
of  promise  for  the  years  which  are  to  come. 

I  regret  that  it  will  not  be  possible  for  me  to  be  with  you  in  person. 
Yours,  very  respectfully, 

C.  H.  CHESTER. 

The  poet  of  the  day,  Mr.  Anson  G.  Chester,  of  Buffalo, 
N.  Y.,  then  delivered  the  following  Poem. 


Poem, 


BY 


Anson   G.    Chester. 


The    Poem. 


It  Avas  in  the  dear  old  days, 

Days  of  earnest  thought  and  labor, 
Days  when  man,  with  soul  and  strength, 

Served  his  God  and  loved  his  neighbor — 
When  a  simple  faith  and  trust 

Lent  to  life  a  heavenly  sweetness, 
And  its  discipline  of  toil 

Gave  it  relish  and  completeness — 
In  those  calm  and  quiet  days, 

By  a  loving  radiance  gilded, 
Here  was  set  the  ark  of  God, 

Here,  in  hope,  a  church  was  builded. 

It  was  in  the  bloom  and  pride 

Of  the  old  colonial  season, 
When  the  ruler's  word  and  will 

Formed  the  sum  of  law  and  reason  ; 
When  imperious  Britain  held 

All  our  treasures  in  her  keeping, 
And  the  beasts  of  after  wars 

In  their  secret  lairs  were  sleeping  ; 
When  the  godly  Puritan 

Prayed,  like  Daniel,  long  and  often, 
And,  responsive  to  his  cries, 

Souls  would  melt  and  hearts  would  soften ; 


122 

When  the  hand  was  never  closed, 

And  the  speech  was  frank  and  candid, 
And  the  Sabbath  Day  was  kept 

Holy,  as  its  Lord  commanded  ; 
When  the  artless  sermon  sent 

Swift  conviction  to  the  hearer ; 
When,  though  life  was  dear  and  sweet. 

Yet  was  honor  sweeter,  dearer ; 
When  the  sturdy  soul  could  pass 

Scatheless  through  the  fires  of  passion- 
When  the  very  garb  was  cut 

In  a  modest,  Christian  fashion ; 
When  the  lips  were  free  from  guile 

And  the  breast  from  jealous  burnings. 
And  the  pious  heart  was  thronged 

With  immortal  hopes  and  yearnings. 

It  was  long  before  the  hour 

When,  in  spite  of  regal  minions, 
Freedom  bade  her  chosen  bird 

Spread  and  try  its  eager  pinions — 
Penned  the  Charter  of  our  Rights, 

With  its  bold,  majestic  phrases, 
Wrote  her  matchless  name  in  blood 

On  the  golden  hearts  of  daisies  ! 
When  the  grandest  problem  known 

Found  its  full  and  fit  solution 
Through  the  bayonet  and  the  sword, 

In  the  glorious  Revolution  ; 
When  a  sweeter  era  dawned, 

And  the  days  of  king-craft  ended, 
And  the  gladsome  songs  of  peace 

To  the  Lord  of  Peace  ascended  ; 


123 

When  began  the  proud  career 

Of  a  calm,  reliant  nation, 
Mighty  through  its  trust  in  God, 

Up  to  Glory's  loftiest  station. 

So  they  built  the  dear  old  church 

In  the  early  days  and  pleasant, 
Days  that  lend  a  roseate  hue 

To  the  clouds  that  skirt  the  present : 
Earnest,  simple,  pious  men, 

Men  who  loved  the  Heavenly  Master, 
Men  who  feared  the  ways  of  sin 

More  than  danger  or  disaster — 
Men  to  whom  the  Law  was  good 

And  the  Promise  full  of  flavor, 
Men  who  cared  for  riches  less 

Than  the  Father's  smile  and  favor. 
Here,  for  years  they  heard  the  Truth, 

Here  their  tuneful  praises  proffered, 
Here  their  willing  alms  they  gave, 

Here,  in  faith,  their  prayers  were  offered  ; 
Here  their  childrens'  brows  were  wet 

With  the  sweet  baptismal  waters  ; 
Here — for  love  is  old  as  time — 

Here  were  wed  their  sons  and  daughters ; 
Here  their  honored  clay  was  borne, 

When  their  earthly  work  was  over, 
And,  the  tearful  service  closed, 

Laid  to  rest  beneath  the  clover. 

Doubt  not,  while  this  church,  to-day, 
O'er  its  wondrous  past  rejoices, 

Doubt  not  that  the  dead  are  here 
With  their  angel  harps  and  voices  ! 


124 

Though  we  see  no  golden  stairs 

Reaching  from  the  sapphire  portal, 
Though  their  shining  forms  are  veiled 

From  our  vision,  gross  and  mortal, 
They  have  laid  their  crowns  aside, 

They  have  come  from  heavenly  places, 
And  their  words  are  in  our  ears 

And  their  breath  is  on  our  faces ! 
They,  the  pioneers  of  God 

In  a  new  and  barren  region — 
Weak  in  numbers,  but  in  faith 

Stronger  than  a  Roman  legion — 
They  who  built  and  they  who  kept, 

They  who  planted,  watched  and  tended, 
They  who  since  have  lived  and  died 

In  the  faith  their  sires  defended — 
They,  a  glorious  band,  are  here, 

Here  to  join  our  glad  thanksgiving — 
Rapturous  must  the  worship  be 

When  the  dead  inspire  the  living ! 

Other  dead  than  these  have  come 

From  the  shining  hills  above  us — 
Ah  !  it  is  a  blessed  thing 

That  the  saints  may  know  and  love  us  ! 
They  who  taught  the  earlier  church 

Heavenly  truths  from  holy  pages — 
Gave  it  manna  from  above, 

Water  from  the  Rock  of  Ages  ; 
They  who  ever  loved  to  tell 

Calvary's  sweet  and  blessed  story — 
First  the  thorns  and  then  the  gold, 

First  the  cloud  and  then  the  glory  ! 
They  whose  words  were  words  of  peace, 

They  whose  lives  were  pure  and  holy, 


1^5 

They  who  warmed  and  clothed  the  poor, 
They  who  lifted  up  the  lowly  ; 

Men  of  faith  and  men  of  prayer, 

Tender  friends  and  zealous  teachers — 

Lo  !  they  take  their  rightful  place 
Here  among  the  living  preachers. 

One  of  these  in  life  I  knew, 

When  my  own  was  in  its  morning — 
Oft  I  heard  his  Sabbath  prayers, 

Oft  his  solemn  Sabbath  warning. 
I  can  see  the  good  man  still, 

Clad  in  quaint  and  ancient  vesture, 
See  his  crown  of  silver  hair, 

See  his  pleading  look  and  gesture. 
If  his  voice  was  heavenly  soft 

While  he  spoke  of  Calvary's  wonders, 
When  he  laid  the  doctrines  down 

It  was  clothed  with  Sinai's  thunders  ! 
If  his  heart  was  like  a  child's 

And  his  nature  warm  and  pliant, 
Question  but  his  hope  and  faith 

And  you  roused  a  sleeping  giant. 
He  could  see  the  stamp  of  God 

On  the  meanest  of  His  creatures, 
In  the  homeliest  Christian  face 

Find  celestial  lines  and  features. 
He  was  one  who  loved  to  strew 

Garlands  on  the  paths  of  duty, 
Loved  in  common  things  to  seek 

For  immortal  truth  and  beauty  ; 
So  he  found — this  good  old  man, 

Truest,  saintliest,  best  of  pastors- 
Angels'  eyes  in  violets, 

Bethlehem's  tranquil  star  in  asters; 


126 

Found  in  leaf  and  brook  and  cloud, 

Found  in  nature's  simplest  forces, 
Found  in  dew-drop,  flake  and  fern 

Matter  for  his  apt  discourses. 
Ah  !  the  tears  that  he  has  wiped, 

Ah  !  the  hearts  that  he  has  lightened, 
Ah  !  the  burdens  he  has  shared, 

Ah  !  the  lives  that  he  has  brightened. 
Not  a  richer  crown  than  his 

Flashes  through  the  jasper  arches 
When  the  ransomed  host  of  God 

Makes  its  grand  and  stately  marches ! 
Brighter  is  its  virgin  gold 

Than  the  sheen  of  kingly  sabres, 
And  its  jewels  are  the  souls 

Purchased  by  his  pious  labors. 

What  our  fathers  sowed  in  tears 

We,  to-day,  in  joy  are  reaping — 
Buried  seed  will  sprout  and  grow 

While  the  husbandman  is  sleeping. 
So  this  maniple  of  corn, 

Hid,  in  faith,  upon  the  mountains, 
Touched  to  life  by  power  divine, 

Watered  from  celestial  fountains, 
Through  the  long  and  misty  years 

Ever  growing  and  increasing, 
Shakes  like  Lebanon,  at  last, 

Lusty,  ripe  and  full  of  blessing. 

To  the  new  and  golden  age 
Through  a  sterner  age  of  iron, 

Through  the  trial  and  the  storm, 
God  has  led  this  reverend  Zion  ; 


127 

Still  His  peace  shall  be  her  stay, 

Still  His  hand  shall  lead  her  surely — 
Trusting  to  His  love  and  care 

She  shall  ever  walk  securely. 
List,  O  Zion,  Bride  of  Christ ! 

To  the  Psalmist's  lofty  numbers — 
"  He  who  keepeth  Israel 

Never  sleeps  and  never  slumbers  !  " 

Thou  who  rulest  over  all, 

Thou  whose  love  all  love  excelleth, 
Smile  upon  this  holy  place 

Where  Thy  sovereign  honor  dwelleth. 

Thou  our  Refuge  and  our  Rock, 

Thou  our  Maker,  Friend  and  Father, 

On  this  church,  so  full  of  years, 
Let  Thy  benedictions  gather. 

Give  its  pastor  plenteous  grace 

In  his  every  work  and  function, 
Guide  his  thoughts,  inspire  his  words, 

Grant  him  holy  zeal  and  unction  ; 
May  his  labors  bud  and  bloom 

Like  the  queenly  rose  of  Sharon — 
Give  his  deacons  helpful  hands, 

Like  the  hands  of  Hur  and  Aaron. 

May  its  members  walk  in  love, 
Doing  all  Thy  will  and  pleasure — 

Fill  their  souls  with  heavenly  peace 
And  their  hearts  with  heavenly  treasure. 

Take  its  infants  in  Thine  arms 
And  its  youth  and  children  cherish — 

Let  no  lamb  of  all  the  flock 
Stray  from  Thee,  O  God  !  and  perish. 


128 

Give  its  men  the  fire  of  Paul, 

Abram's  faith  and  John's  emotion — 

Give  its  women  Esther's  hope, 
Mary's  trust  and  Ruth's  devotion. 

Of  its  aged  be  the  staff 

Till  to  glory  Thou  hast  borne  them  ; 
Be  the  warden  of  its  dead — 

Comfort  Thou  the  hearts  that  mourn  them. 

Here  may  living  waters  flow, 

For  the  healing  of  the  nation — 
Make  these  hallowed  portals  praise, 

Make  these  sacred  walls  salvation. 

And  to  God  the  King  and  Lord, 
Pitying  Judge  and  Gracious  Giver, 

To  the  Father,  Spirit,  Son, 

Be  the  praise  and  power  forever ! 


129 

The  delivery  of  the  poem  was  followed  by  the  singing 
of  the  anthem,  "  How  beautiful  in  Zion,"  after  which, 

The  Rev.  Thomas  L.  Shipman,  of  Jewett  City,  spoke 
substantially  as  follows  : — 

There  is  one  figure  before  us  wherever  we  are  to-day, — Dr.  Nott.  It 
makes  me  a  better  man  only  to  think  of  him.  I  remember  him  well, 
for  I  have  been  acquainted  with  him  many  years.  I  recall  many  of  his 
expressions  in  prayer.  He  was  very  pertinent  and  comprehensive  in 
prayer.  "May  thy  grace  be  sufficient  for  us  and  mighty  in  us."  At 
"  Minister's  Meeting,"  he  often  had  these  petitions,  but  never  too  often, 
"May  we  love  our  Master  and  love  our  work."  His  style  was  char- 
acterized by  great  simplicity ;  he  came  right  to  his  subject,  said  what  he 
had  to  say  in  simple  Saxon,  and  when  he  had  done,  stopped.  No  man 
ever  laid  the  sin  of  prolixness  at  the  Dr.'s  door.  The  Doctor  was  very 
much  attached  to  the  ministers'  meeting.  He  was  first  to  come,  and 
first  to  leave  at  the  close.  The  brethren  would  sometimes  say  to 
him,  "  Don't  be  in  haste,  Dr."  His  quick  reply  would  be,  "  one  duty 
follows  another, — love  to  your  families  ";  and  before  the  brethren  were 
ready  to  start  he  would  be  half  a  mile  on  his  way  home. 

Towards  the  close  of  life,  when  his  powers  were  much  impaired,  the 
family  were  unwilling  that  he  should  attend  the  meetings,  fearing  that 
some  accident  might  befall  him,  and  possibly  that  as  he  could  not  con- 
tribute to  the  interest  of  the  meeting  as  he  had  done  in  former  days, 
his  presence  might  be  an  annoyance.  If  they  ever  entertained  such  an 
impression.  I  take  this  opportunity  to  disabuse  them,  for  never  was  his 
presence  more  welcome.  At  the  ordination  of  your  present  pastor,  I 
shared  the  hospitalities  of  the  family  in  the  old  parsonage.  At  the  table 
I  turned  to  my  hostess  and  asked  her  if  a  story  I  had  told  and  published  of 
the  Dr.  was  true.  Her  memory  seemed  very  oblivious,  but  her  husband, 
with  a  knowing  wink  whispered,  "  I  guess  it  is  true,  for  it  sounds  like  them 
both."  The  story  was  to  this  efFect. — At  a  certain  time  an  invitation 
came  up  from  Norwich  to  the  Dr.,  to  attend  a  Sabbath  School  celebra- 
tion of  Independence.  When  the  morning  came,  his  grand-daughter 
took  a  seat  in  the  carriage  with  him.  The  arrangement  did  not  please 
the  Dr.  at  all.  "  It's  no  place  for  women  at  ministers'  meeting."  "  We 
are  not  going  to  ministers'  meeting,  we  are  going  to  celebrate  the  4th  of 
July."  "  It's  no  place  for  women,  4th  of  July,  among  the  military." 
"  There  ain't  going  to  be  any  military,  it  is  a  Sabbath  School  celebra- 
tion of  Independence."  He  caught  at  the  idea  of  independence.  "  I 
like  independence,  and  women  like  independence  too."       "  They  don't 


130 

have  much."  "  They  have  quite  as  much  as  they  can  bear."  If  there 
are  any  "  Woman's  Rights  "  brethren  present,  I  crave  their  pardon,  but 
I  was  not  willing  to  spoil  a  good  story  for  their  sakes. 

Rev.  Hiram  P.  Arms,  of  Norwich  Town,  followed,  and 
in  a  brief  address,  as  pastor  of  the  mother  church,  pre- 
sented her  kind  salutations  and  hearty  congratulations  to 
her  first  born  daughter  on  the  completion  of  her  third 
half  century,  to  which  were  added  some  pleasant  reminis- 
cences of  the  late  Dr.  Nott. 

Rev.  Anson  Gleason,  formerly  a  missionary  to  the  Choc- 
taw Indians,  and  afterwards  pastor  of  the  Indian  church 
at  Mohegan,  gave  some  interesting  reminiscences  of  his 
first  acquaintance  with  Franklin,  and  of  his  subsequent 
ministerial  intercourse  with  Dr.  Nott. 

Rev.  David  Metcalf  next  spoke  and  related  quite  a 
number  of  anecdotes  of  early  Franklin  worthies,  and 
among  them  the  following  : — 

When  I  was  about  to  offer  my  services  as  a  school  teacher,  I  attended 
in  the  fall  of  the  year  upon  Mr.  Nott's  instruction  about  six  weeks,  with 
a  number  of  young  men.  The  school  room  was  Mr.  Nott's  study. 
After  recitation,  one  day,  one  of  the  young  men  rose  and  put  on  his 
hat  in  Mr.  Nott's  presence.  Mr.  Nott  said  to  him,  "  Young  gentleman, 
please  take  off  your  hat."  He  replied,  "  I  thought  school  was  done." 
"  I  am  the  same  man  now  that  I  was  before,"  said  Mr.  Nott,  and  thus 
that  matter  ended.  At  the  close  of  the  six  weeks,  I  asked  Mr.  Nott  if 
he  would  give  me  a  line  of  recommendation  as  a  school  teacher. 
"  Well,"  said  he,  "  I  can  give  you  a  line,  but  1  shall  not  tell  any  lies 
for  you." 

Rev.  W.  H.  Moore  next  spoke  briefly. 

Rev.  Jared  R.  Avery,  of  Groton,  a  former  pastor  of  this 
church,  followed,  and  said — 

Because  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  the  fact  that  others  are  to 
address  you,  I  shall  speak  with  much  brevity.  For  nine  years,  from 
Nov.  1851,  I  ministered  to  this  people.  It  constitutes  the  laborious 
and  happy  period  of  my  life.  My  services  commenced  six  months 
before  the  death  of  Dr.  Nott.       Much  has  been  said  of  this  venerable 


i3i 

man's  punctuality  and  urbanity.  Much  may  be  said  of  his  piety  and 
his  persistency  for  the  right.  He  loved  the  sanctuary ;  and  for  the  six 
months  preceding  his  death,  he  failed  of  attending  public  worship  only 
one  and  a  half  Sabbaths ;  it  being  the  winter  season  of  storms,  and  he 
98  years  old  !  Though  unable  to  present  formal  sermons,  he  preached 
every  day.  At  the  close  of  the  morning  service  on  the  last  Sabbath  he 
ever  worshipped  with  the  church  militant,  he  addressed  me  in  his  pecu- 
liarly shrill  voice,  "  Very  well,  sir,  you  have  preached  very  well  j  but 
remember,  we  must  beware  lest,  while  we  preach  to  others,  we  ourselves 
be  castaways."  To  me  that  was  a  solemn  sermon  which  I  have  often 
reviewed  with  trembling.  Others  have  spoken  of  the  toils  and  sufferings 
of  pastors.  I  may  speak  of  the  joys  and  sorrows  and  kindnesses  of  the 
people.  A  revival  of  religion  during  my  ministry  has  been  alluded  to 
in  the  historical  discourse  of  the  present  pastor.  It  was  a  precious 
season,  one  of  general  interest,  and  as  fruits  of  which,  a  goodly  number 
were  added  to  the  church.  There  is  a  sadness  mingled  with  our  joys 
to-day,  in  review  of  the  past.  During  my  time  of  service,  three  dea- 
cons, Messrs.  Greenslit,  Willes  and  Hastings  were  removed  by  death  ; 
and  many,  many  other  loved  ones  of  all  ages.  The  two  deacons  of 
to-day  were  set  apart  to  their  office  during  the  period  of  my  ministry. 
This  community's  material  tokens  of  kindness  to  their  fifth  pastor  and 
his  family  continued  to  the  last ;  and  I  can  honestly  say  that  I  love  to 
visit  this  people  above  any  other,  and  take  you  by  the  hand,  though 
that  greeting  be  often  attended  by  the  falling  tear. 

Rev.  Joseph  W.  Backus  was  next  called  upon.  Mr. 
Backus,  at  the  close  of  his  remarks,  produced  some  curious 
historical  documents  illustrating  the  rigorous  manner  in 
which  the  tything  men  fulfilled  the  duties  of  their  office 
a  century  ago. 

Rev.  George  J.  Harrison,  a  former  pastor  of  this  church, 
and  colleague  of  Dr.  Nott,  then  spoke  as  follows : — - 

My  acquaintance  with  this  town  commenced  twenty  years  ago,  about 
the  middle  of  last  month.  The  occasion  of  this  acquaintance  was  as 
follows ; — I  received  a  letter  from  the  respected  chairman  of  your 
committee  of  arrangements,  intimating  that,  in  the  opinion  of  the  peo- 
ple, the  venerable  pastor  of  this  church  had  fairly  earned  a  period  of 
rest,  and  that  they  were  disposed  to  afford  him  relief  from  further  labor 
by  providing  one  who  should  be  his  assistant,  and  inviting  me  to  come 
here  in  view  of  these  facts. 


132 

One  Sabbath  morning  I  met  and  was  introduced  to  Dr.  Nott,  at  the 
large  elm  tree  which  stands  at  the  corner,  near  Deacon  Willes'  house. 
He  invited  me  to  preach  and  I  accepted  the  invitation.  This  was  re- 
peated several  successive  Sabbaths.  At  length  the  Dr.  noticed  my  long 
continuance,  and  remarked  to  his  grand-daughter  "  that  he  should  think 
that  Mr.  Harrison  had  better  be  somewhere,  seeking  a  place ;  that  he 
could  not  afford  to  pay  him  anything,  and  he  was  sure  that  the  people 
could  not."  His  grand-daugher,  in  reply,  informed  him  that  the  people 
proposed  to  provide  him  with  a  colleague.  This  statement  the  Dr. 
refused  to  believe. 

Soon  there  was  a  call  and  acceptance  ;  and  in  due  season  arrange- 
ments were  made  for  an  ordination.  It  was  the  pleasure  of  the  people 
that  this  should  occur  on  the  13th  of  March — the  anniversary  of  the 
ordination  of  Dr.  Nott.  The  day  was  a  beautiful  one,  the  air  was  soft, 
and  great  numbers  came  together  from  near  and  from  far,  attracted  by 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  occasion. 

Immediately  after  the  completion  of  the  usual  services,  the  Dr.  stepped 
forward  and,  in  a  few  appropriate  remarks,  expressed  his  approbation  of 
what  had  been  done,  and  cordially  thanked  his  people  for  their  kindness 
in  thus  providing  him  with  help.  From  that  hour  the  entire  charge  of 
the  parish  was  resigned  into  my  hands,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  Dr. 
Nott  could  be  induced  to  perform  the  most  trifling  service.  It  was  the 
desire  of  the  people  to  hear  his  voice  once  on  each  Sabbath  day.  I 
therefore  made  it  a  point  to  invite  him  to  offer  the  closing  prayer  of  the 
afternoon;  but  only  succeeded  by  the  employment  of  a  sort  of  strategy. 
As  soon  as  I  had  finished  the  sermon,  I  would  wave  my  hand  to  him  as 
an  invitation  to  offer  the  prayer,  at  the  same  time  averting  my  eyes  that 
he  might  not  be  able  to  decline. 

The  communion  service,  which  would  naturally  have  been  observed 
on  the  first  Sabbath  of  March,  was  deferred  until  the  Sabbath  after  the 
ordination.  Dr.  Nott  presided  at  the  breaking  of  the  bread;  and  those 
who  were  present  will  not  easily  forget  the  eminent  propriety  with 
which  he  concluded  his  portion  of  the  service.  Rising,  and  devoutly 
raising  his  hands  towards  Heaven,  he  commenced  his  address  to  the 
throne  of  grace  with  the  following  words  :  "  O  Lord,  we  are  here  in 
new  circumstances.  The  senior  pastor  is  present  and  the  junior  pastor 
is  present."  And  so  he  proceeded,  with  that  wonderful  directness  and 
appropriateness  by  which  his  prayers  were  always  marked. 

Mr.  Thomas  D.  Stetson  next  spoke  very  briefly. 

Rev.  Jesse  Fillmore  followed,  and  spoke  with  much  in- 
terest of  his  early  recollections  of  Franklin. 


133 

Rev.  Anson  Gleason  then  led  in  prayer,  after  which  was 
sung  the  hymn, — 

"  Lord,  now  we  part  in  Thy  blest  name, 
In  which  we  here  together  came, 
Grant  us,  our  few  remaining  days, 
To  work  Thy  will  and  spread  Thy  praise." 

The  audience  then  joined  in  the  doxology,  and  the  ex- 
ercises of  the  anniversary  were  closed  with  the 

BENEDICTION. 


Appendix. 


A  large  number  of  interesting  letters  were  received  by 
the  Committee  of  Arrangements  from  persons  to  whom 
invitations  to  the  celebration  had  been  extended.  We 
append  a  few  of  these  letters,  regretting  that  the  limits 
of  the  volume  will  not  permit  a  more  general  collection. 

We  give  first  the  letter  of  Miss  F.  M.  Caulkins,  of  New- 
London,  who  was  invited  to  prepare  a  hymn  to  be  sung 
at  the  opening  of  the  anniversary  exercises : — 

New  London,  Sept.  4,  1868. 
Dear  Sir : — 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  hear  of  the  proposed  celebration  at  Franklin. 
I  love  these  anniversary  days.  It  does  the  heart  good,  sometimes,  to 
turn  aside  and  "  ask  for  the  old  paths,"  especially  the  path  of  the  just 
— that  we  may  "  walk  therein  /" 

My  health  is  so  fluctuating  that  I  can  scarcely  hope  for  the  gratifica- 
cation  of  personally  presenting  myself  before  this  venerable  Hundred 
and  Fiftieth.  But  if  health  and  other  circumstances  permit,  I  shall 
delight  in  being  one  of  the  train.  In  heart  I  shall  certainly  be  there, 
nor  shall  the  contribution  so  courteously  requested  be  wanting.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  days  I  will  forward  a  hymn. 

Respectfully,  sir,  yours,  &c, 

FRANCES  M.  CAULKINS. 
Ashbel  Woodward,  M.  D. 

The  Committee  of  Arrangements  early  invited  Anson 
G.  Chester,  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  to  deliver  a  poem  at 
the  celebration.  Subjoined  is  Mr.  Chester's  letter  of 
acceptance  : — 


136 

Buffalo,  Sept  8th,  1868. 
Dr.  Ashbel  Woodward,  Franklin  Conn. 

Dear  Sir: — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter,  conveying  to  me  the  inform- 
ation that  the  Congregational  church  and  society  of  Franklin  propose 
to  celebrate  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  their  organiza- 
tion upon  the  fourteenth  of  October  next,  and  inviting  me  to  prepare 
a  poem  to  be  read  upon  that  occasion. 

Franklin  was  the  birthplace  and  early  home  of  my  beloved  and 
sainted  mother;  it  was  in  the  old  church  in  Franklin  that  her  infant 
forehead  received  the  sacred  seal  of  baptism,  and  there  in  the  years  of 
her  maidenhood,  she  made  profession  of  that  faith  which  beautified  all 
her  after  life  and  rendered  her  death  serene  and  triumphant ;  in  Frank- 
lin she  was  married,  and  her  children  can  testify  that  for  Franklin,  its 
woods  and  fields,  its  church,  its  people,  she  cherished  a  love  which  never 
languished,  to  the  very  moment  when  her  mortal  put  on  immortality. 

So  I  seem  to  hear  in  your  invitation  the  gentle  pleadings  of  my 
mother's  voice — pleadings  which,  as  of  old  and  always,  I  hear  but  to 
obey. 

You  may,  therefore,  expect  me  to  be  present  at  your  celebration 
and  to  bring  with  me  such  fruits,  of  the  nature  indicated  in  your  very 
kind  letter,  as  in  the  meantime  I  may  be  able  to  gather. 

With  my  grateful  thanks  to  the  committee  for  an  invitation  which  is, 
alike,  complimentary  in  itself  and  its  source,  and  which,  while  it  whis- 
pers pleasant  things  to  my  pride,  touches  the  tenderest  fibres  of  my 
heart,  I  am,  Dear  sir, 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

ANSON  G.  CHESTER. 


Salem,  Mass.,  Oct.  13,  1868. 
Ashbel  Woodward,  Esq.,  Chairman  Com,  of  Arrangements,  &c. 

Dear  Sir. — I  received  your  very  polite  note  inviting  me  to  attend 
your  celebration  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the 
organization  of*  your  church  and  society,  and  I  deeply  regret  it  is  not  in 
my  power  to  be  present.  Imperative  official  engagements  which  I  can- 
not well  control,  prevent  ;  and  I  have  delayed  answering  your  note  until 
the  last  moment,  in  the  hope  that  I  could  control  them.  I  certainly 
feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  event  to  be  commemorated,  in  which,  and 
in  all  your  history  to  this  day,  my  ancestors  and  kindred  have  taken  no 
inconsiderable  part ;  and  I  should  be  most  happy  to  unite  with  you  all 
to-morrow  in  doing   honor  to  the   great  and  excellent  many  who  have 


137 

rendered  your  annals  as  a  church  and  a  people,  not  undistinguished,  and 
have  given  a  name  to  Franklin  of  which  you  have  no  cause  to  be 
ashamed. 

One  name  alone  in  your  history,  so  loved  and  honored  in  the  genera- 
tions which  he  served,  that  of  Samuel  Nott,  deserves  to  be  held  in 
perpetual  remembrance,  and  to  be  regarded  as  one  of  your  most  precious 
jewels  on  such  an  occasion  as  this,  as  well  as  at  all  times.  He  was  widely 
and  most  honorably  known  in  his  long  pastorate,  and  is  largely  identified 
with  your  history,  and  has  given  a  prestige  to  the  name  and  character 
of  your  town,  as  the  minister  of  Franklin,  not  unlike  to  that  given  to 
your  namesake  town  in  this  commonwealth  by  the  long  life  and  services 
in  the  ministry  of  Nathaniel  Emmons,  the  minister  of  Franklin,  Mass. 
All  the  names  of  the  men  and  of  the  towns  are  great  and  good  ;  and 
your  Franklin,  a  smaller  one,  was  named,  I  presume,  in  honor  of  the 
great  American  statesman  and  philosopher.  Again  thanking  you  for 
your  kind  and  considerate  invitation  to  join  in  your  celebration,  which, 
I  trust,  and  have  no  doubt,  will  be  worthy  of  the  event  which  you  do 
well  thus  to  mark,  I  remain, 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

ASAHEL  HUNTINGTON. 


Norwich,  Sept.  17,  1868. 
Doct.  Ashbel  Woodward,  Chairman  of  the  Committee. 

Dear  Sir: — I  should  take  great  pleasure  in  attending  the  celebration 
of  the  Congregational  church  and  society  in  Franklin,  in  accordance 
with  your  invitation,  but  an  engagement  in  another  part  of  the  state  on 
that  day  will  prevent. 

It  is  a  cause  for  great  gratitude  that  for  a  century  and  a  half  the 
church  has,  in  efforts  to  sustain  a  sound  ministry,  to  secure  the  conver- 
sion of  sinners  to  Christ,  and  to  extend  the  interests  of  His  kingdom  in 
other  lands,  brought  forth  fruit  to  the  glory  and  honor  of  the  Master. 
That  these  efforts  may  continue  and  that  the  church  may  reflect,  as  it 
ever  has,  the  light  of  the    Gospel    of  the    Son  of  God,  is  the  prayer  of 

your  friend  and  obedient  servant, 

WM.  A.   BUCKINGHAM. 


Buffalo,  October  5,  1868. 
Dr.  Ashbel  Woodward,  Chairman,  &c. 

Dear    Sir  : — I  have    delayed   answering  your  note   of  invitation  to 


138 

attend  the  interesting  celebration  of  your  church  on  the  14th  inst.,  in 
the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  send  an  acceptance  of  the  same ;  but 
as  I  now  see  that  it  will  not  be  practicable  for  me  to  be  present,  I 
will  wait  no  longer,  but  express  to  you  my  thanks  for  the  invitation  and 
my  sincere  regret  that  I  cannot  be  present  to  share  in  the  festivities  and 
solemnities  of  that  occasion. 

Though  not  a  son  of  Franklin,  I  am  a  grandson,  and  many 
precious  early  memories  cluster  about  that  locality.  In  the  old 
church,  not  the  oldest,  my  father,  a  native  of  the  neighboring  town 
of  Montville,  saw  by  chance  in  the  choir,  my  mother,  the  eldest  child 
of  Major  Eleazar  Tracy,  the  eldest,  by  the  way,  of  fourteen  girls  and 
boys, — they  had  families  in  those  days, — my  father's  father  was  the 
eldest  of  sixteen  children, — and  the  black  hair  and  bright  eyes  of  the 
youthful  Prudie  were  too  much  for  him  ;  he  yielded  at  once,  and  the 
next  year,  in  1811,  Dr.  Nott  was  sent  for  to  heal  the  wound  that  love  had 
made.  This  event  had  quite  an  important  bearing  upon  my  history, 
and  gives  to  the  Franklin  meeting  house  a  personal  interest  that  I  can 
never  lose.  Very  often,  in  my  childhood  and  early  youth,  in  my  visits 
to  my  grandfather,  have  I  attended  service  in  the  old  church,  and  most 
vividly  do  I  recall  the  appearance  and  voice  of  the  pastor  who  for  so 
many  years  ministered  to  this  flock.  I  had  then  the  veneration  for  the 
minister,  which  has  to  so  great  an  extent  disappeared  in  this  age,  and 
which  will  be  of  no  loss,  if  we  do  not  also  lose  veneration  for  the  re- 
ligion which  the  minister  represented. 

I  am  sorry  I  cannot  come,  but-I  send  my  youngest  brother,  who  shall 
speak  for  us  both  in  his  graceful  verse,   inspired  by  the  love  of  the  dear, 
departed  mother,  with  whose    blessed  memory  Franklin,  and  especially 
the  Congregational  church  in  Franklin,  will  ever  be  associated. 
Very  gratefully  and  truly  yours, 

A.  T.  CHESTER. 


Aurora,  Illinois,  Oct.  7th,  1868. 
To  Ashbel  Woodward,  Chairman  Com.  of  Arrangements. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  circular,  inviting  me  to  be  present  at  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  organization  of 
the  church  and  society  in  Franklin,  was  received  in  due  time. 

I  thank  you  for  the  invitation.  I  sympathize  with  the  sentiment 
which  prompts  to  such  a  celebration.  It  is  well  to  bind  the  present  to 
the  past  with  ties  of  grateful  remembrance.       The  full  stream  may  not 


139 

despise  the  little  spring  whence  it  took  its  rise.  The  generation  of  to- 
day ought  not  to  think  lightly  of  the  work  of  their  fathers,  which  is  the 
very  spring  of  their  present  prosperity,  that  patient  industry  which  has 
changed  the  sterile  hills  of  old  Franklin  into  fruitful  fields  ;  that  frugality 
which  has  gathered  plenty  from  a  reluctant  soil ;  that  sobriety  and  vir- 
tue which  have  adorned,  and  still  adorn,  so  many  happy  homes ;  that 
substantial  piety  which  has  given  strength  and  dignity  and  grace  to  so 
many  unheralded  lives,  and  has  crowned  them  with  peace  at  their  ending ; 
all  have  been  due  beyond  measure  to  the  presence  of  that  little  church 
on  Meeting  House  hill.  I  am  glad  you  are  to  recall  the  past  and  set  in 
honor  those  who  in  by-gone  years  wrought  for  the  results  which  are  the 
rich  inheritance  of  those  living  to-day. 

It  is  well,  too,  by  such  a  review  to  learn  more  fully  the  lesson  of 
God's  faithfulness  and  love.  Above  man's  agency  is  God's  blessing. 
That  blessing  has  been  the  best  thing  in  the  past  history  of  the  church ; 
that  constitutes  the  chief  worth  of  the  inheritance  which  the  present 
possesses.  To  make  grateful  acknowledgement  of  God's  goodness,  and 
to  secure  larger  measures  of  his  blessing,  will  doubtless  be  one  chief 
object  of  your  anniversary  exercises.  I  regret  that  it  is  quite  impossible 
for  me  to  be  with  you.  Distance  and  pressure  of  duties  will  prevent 
my  coming.  Thanking  you  again  for  your  invitation,  and  wishing  you 
all  hoped  for  success  in  the  proposed  celebration,  I  remain, 
Yours,  very  sincerely, 

ISAAC  CLARK. 


POEM, 

FROM      MISS      HYDE, 

OF 

Andovcr,   Conn. 

October,  1718. 
October,  1868. 

Their  graves  are  with  us  to  this  day, 

With  hillock  green  and  mossy  stone, 
Whose  crumbling  records  pass  away, 
Whose  memory  we  would  guard  for  aye, 
Heirs  of  the  work  they  here  begun. 

So  to  this  hilltop's  ancient  shrine 
Our  pilgrim  feet  to-day  repair; 

Grateful  we  trace  the  ancestral  line, 

And  own  the  covenant  divine, 

Whose  blessings  we  so  richly  share. 

This  day,  for  their  memorial  claimed, 
To  kindred  ties  and  greetings  given, 
Tells  of  the  rest  which  they  have  gained, 
Gathered  to  Him,  of  whom  are  named 
The  family  of  earth  and  heaven. 


Index    of    Names. 


Abell,  Abigail,  72;  Alpheus,  38;  Benjamin,  49;  Caleb,  49;  Experi- 
ence, 56;  Joshua,  17,  21,  26,40,  42,  62;  Julietta,  73;  Mary, 
63  ;   Simon,  38. 

Adgate,  Hannah,  52  ;  Dea.  Thomas,  48. 

Aitchison,  Rev.  William,  88. 

Allen,  Dea.  Samuel,  112. 

Allyn,  Edward  A.,  62;  Elizabeth,  63;  Secretary  John,  46;  Rob- 
ert, 48. 

Andrews,  Christian,    51. 

Arms,  Rev.  Hiram  P.,  D.D.,  10,  130;   Rev.  Wm.   F.,  88. 

Armstrong,  Asa,  38;  Benjamin,  17,  21,  25,  49;  Benjamin,  2d,  38; 
Jeremiah,  38  ;  John,  17,  21,  25,  49;  Jonathan,  49;  Joseph,  49; 
Stephen,  49. 

Armstrongs,  32. 

Arnold,  John,  49. 

Arnold  Place,  22,  50. 

Ashbury,  Rev.  Bishop  Francis,  70. 

Attawanhood,  son  of  Uncas,  45,  46. 

Avery,  Christopher,  36;  Rev.  David,  64,  65,  66,  68;  Rev 
Ephraim  K.,  87  ;  John,  65;  Lydia  (Smith),  65;  Rev.  Jared  R., 
107,   130. 

Ayer,  Bailey,  92;  E.  Eugene,  5  ;  John,  15,  50,  85;  Joseph,  21,  25, 
38;  Joseph,  Jr.,  25,  38,  50,  66;  Love,  57,  85;  Mary  (Bailey), 
66;  Rev.  Oliver,  65,  66;  Timothy,  38. 

Ayerses,  32. 

Ayer's  Gap,  50. 

IO 


142 
B 

Backus,  Rev.  Azel,  D.D.,  35,  51,  64,  66,  6j ;  Rev.  Charles,  D.D.,  35, 

51,  64,  67,  68,  71,  72;  Deborah  (Fanning),  66;  Miss  Elizabeth, 

88  j  Eunice  (Kingsbury),  67;   Hannah,  51  ;  Jabez,   Sen.,  51,  67; 

Jabez,  Jr.,  66  ;  Jabez,  3d,  68  ;  John,  50  ;  Joseph,  50  ;  Rev.  Joseph 

W.,   64,   68,    131  ;   Mary,   56;  Mary  Ann,   6j  ;  Nathaniel,   50  ; 

Stephen,  48  ;  William,  Sen.,  66,  67  ;  Lieut.  William,  Jr.,  48,  50  ; 

William,  3d,  50. 
Badger,  John,  22,  25,  51  ;   Samuel,  38,   51. 
Badgers,  32. 
Baker,  Joseph,  25. 
Baldwin,  John,  48. 
Baltic  House,  55. 
Baret,  Margaret,  56. 
Barker,  Hannah  (Brewster),  79;  Jerusha,  83;  John,  Sen.,   79;  Doct. 

John,  38,  79,  80,  82,  83;  Doct.  John,  2d,  64;   Capt.  Joshua,  39; 

Doct.  Samuel  H.,  82. 
Barkers,  32. 
Barstow,  Ebenezer,  51  ;  Jerusha,  55  ;  Job,  51,  55,  59;  Jonathan,  51  ; 

Yet-once,  5  1. 
Batchelor,  John,  55  ;   Rebecca,   55. 
Beckwith,  Elizabeth,  52. 
Bell,  Dr.  Robert,  78. 
Bellamy,  Rev.  Joseph,  D.D.,  67. 
Benedict,  Rev.  Joel,  D.D.,  74. 
Bennet,  Edward,  77  ;   Phebe  Eliza,  jj. 
Bingham,  Joseph,  38;  Mary,  51  ;   Sarah,  81  ;   Thomas,  Sen.,  51  ;  Dea. 

Thomas,  48,   5  1. 
Birchard,  James,  21,  26,  52  ;  John,  16,  48,  51  ;   Thomas,  51. 
Birchards,  32. 
Blackman,  Benjamin,  57. 
Bliss,  Thomas,  48. 
Blythe,  Thomas,   79. 
Bostwick,  Rev.  Shadrick,  70. 
Bowers,  Morgan,  48. 
Bradford,  John,  48. 
Bradley,  Alice,  74;   Stephen  Rowe,  87. 
Bray,  Rev.   Thomas  Welles,  90. 
Brett,  Ephraim,  38  ;   William,  38,  89. 
Brewer,  Mrs.  (Laura  L.  Giddings),  88. 
Brown,  Elijah,  66 ;  Phebe,  66. 


143 

Buckingham,  Hon.  Wm.  A.,  137. 

Burgess,  Dr.  Reuben,  81. 

Burr,  Aaron,  85. 

Bushnell,  Elizabeth,   57;  Joseph,   51  ;   Rebecca,   51;   Capt.   Richard, 

H>  57- 


C 

Case,  Ebenezer,  64. 

Caulkins,  Miss  F.  M.,  7,  12,  135  ;  Dea.  Hugh,  48  ;  John,  48. 

Chapin,  Rev.  Calvin,  D.D.,  73. 

Chaplain,  Hannah,  66. 

Chapman,  Simon,    38. 

Chappel,  Ezra,  Esq.,  42,  43. 

Cherry,  Mrs.  (Charlotte  H.  Lathrop),  88  ;  Mrs    (Jane  E.  Lathrop),  88. 

Chester,  Rev.   A.  T.,  D.D.,  65,  68,  138;   Anson  G.,  65,    117,  136; 

Rev.  C.  H.,  116. 
Clark,  Rev.  Isaac,    138. 
Collins,  Rev.  Ambrose,  90. 
Converse,  Rev.  Geo.  S.,  64,  68  ;  Wm.  M.,  5. 
Cooley,  Rev.  Timothy  Mather,  D.D.,  68. 
Copeland,  Mrs.  C.  C.  (Cornelia  Ladd),  88. 
Corliss,  Sarah,  50. 
Cornell,  Sarah  Maria,   87. 
CoRwiN,  Dea.  Phineas,  1 1 2, 
Crain,  Jonathan,  6t,. 
Crocker,    Hannah,   52;  Jabez,   52;  John,   52;   Samuel,   52;  Samuel, 

Jr.,  52, 
Crockers,  32. 
Cross,  John  Q.,  61  ;   Peter,  63. 


D 

Demming,  Melicent,  6y. 

Dennison,  Gen.  Daniel,  85  ;  Rev.  Joseph,  90,  Ruth,  57;  Thomas,  36, 

89,  101. 
Dexter,  F.  B.,  12. 
Dickinson,  Rev.  James  T.,  88. 
Doane,  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop,  77. 
Downer,  Andrew,   52;  Artemas,  the  Schoolmaster,   33;  Joseph,  Sen., 

22,  25,   52;  Joseph,  Jr.,   52;  Dr.  Joshua,   of  Preston,  81;  Miss 

Lucinda,  Missionary,  88  ;  Richard,  52. 


144 

Downers,  32. 

Dudley,  Gov.  Thomas,  85. 

Durkee,  Dea.  John,  36,  52,  112  ;  John,  of  Ipswich,  52. 

Dwight,  Rev.  Timothy,  D.D.,  67. 

DuYCKINCK,     67. 


E 

Eaton,  Gen.  William,  41. 

Edgerton,   Hon.   Alfred  P.,   35,   53;  Bela,   53,  65,    115;  David,  42, 
53;   Hannah,    51  ;    Joseph,    22,    25,    53;   Richard,    48;    Samuel, 

25,  53,  Hi- 

Edgertons,  32. 

Elderkin,  James,  34,  38  ;  Mrs.  James,  34  ;  John,  Sen.,   Carpenter  and 

Millwright,  53  ;   Sergt.  John,  Jr.,  21,  25,  53. 
Elliot,  47,  48. 
Ellis,  Asher,   M.D.,  69;  Dr.  Benjamin,  81  ;  Rev.   Jonathan,  64,  68; 

Rev.  John,  19,  39,  68,  81,  102  ;   Rebecca  (Huntington),  69  ;   Rev. 

Robert  F.,  69;  Sally  P.,  85  ;  Rev.  Stephen,  69  ;  Stephen,  Sen.,  69. 


F 

Fargo,  Dwight,  57. 

Fessenden,  Benjamin,  of  Sandwich,  72  ;   Lucy,  72. 

Fillmore,  Rev.  Amaziah,  69,  70;  Comfort,  69;  Rev.  C.  D.,  70; 
Daniel,  70;  Rev.  Hiel,  70 ;  Rev.  Jesse,  12,  71,  132;  John, 
"Mariner,"  of  Ipswich,  Mass.,  53;  Capt.  John,  21,  38,  53,  69, 
78,  84,  89;  Hon.  Millard,  21,  35,  84;  Nathaniel,  84;  Zerviah 
(Bosworth),  69. 

FlLLMORES,    32. 

Fitch,  Rev.  James,  15,  48. 

Foster,  Rev.  Isaac,  90;   Hon.  L.  F.  S.,  35,  61,  65,  78,  83,  115. 

Fox,  Eliphalet,  38  ;   Fox  Heirs,  91. 

French,  Andrew,  38. 

Frink,  John,  58. 

Fulton,  Mary,  69. 


Gager,  John,  the  Proprietor,  49,  $4;  John,  the  original  settler  at  West 
Farms,  22,  55;  John,  54;  Samuel,  54;  Dr.  William,  54. 


145 

Gagers,  32. 

Gaylor,  79. 

George,  Rev.  Bishop,  70. 

Gifford,  Stephen,  48. 

Gilman,  Prof.  D.  C,  12  ;  Rev.  E.  W.,  7. 

Gleason,  Rev.  Anson,  88,  130,  133;   Mrs.  (B.  W.  Tracy),  88. 

Greenslit,  Dea.  Nathaniel  C,  112. 

Gregory,  Joanna,  61  ;   Miss  Miriam,  of  Stratford,  61. 

Griswold,  Caleb,  55  ;  Lieut.  Francis,  the  Proprietor,  48,  55  ;  James  C, 

53  ;   Samuel,  the  Settler,  zi,  55  ;   Capt.  Samuel,  55. 
Griffin,  Joseph  A.,  58. 
Gulic,  Mrs.  (F.  H.  Thomas),  88. 


H 

Hall,  Rev.  Gordon,  75. 

Harmar,  Gen.  Jose'ph,  85. 

Harrison,  Gen.  Wm.  H.,  76,  86;   Rev.  George  J.,  107,  131. 

Hart,  Rev.  Levi,  D.D.,  67,  71. 

Hartshorne,  Abigail,  61  ;   Capt.  Asa,  39,  55  ;  Dea.  David,  21,  22,  24, 

26,  27,  55,  111,  112;  Doct.  David,  78,79;  Capt.  Ebenezer,  39; 

Ebenezer,  Esq.,   33,  61  ;  Doct.    Elijah,  55,   71,   81  ;  Rev.   Elijah, 

64.,    71;    Jonathan,    22,    25,    55;    Samuel,    21  ;    Samuel   G,  6; 

Thomas,  of  Reading,  Mass.,  55. 
Hartshornes,  32. 
Harris,  John,  64. 
Haskell,  Mrs.  H.  B.,  88. 

Hastings,  Bela  T.,  6,  57;  Dan,  6;  Dea.  Benjamin  S.,  112. 
Hazen,  Charles  T.,   52;  Jacob,   25;  John,   25;  Dr.  John,  64;  Mrs. 

Mary,  55  ;  Lieut.  Thomas,  21,  25,  26,  55,  111  ;  Thomas,  Jr.,  25. 
Hedding,  Rev.  Bishop,  70,  71. 
Hill,  Bethia,  68  ;  Jacob,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,  68. 
Hobart,  Rt.  Rev.  Bishop  John  Henry,  D.D.,  71. 
Hogskin,  William,  22. 
Hooker,  Rev.  Asahel,  73. 
Howard,  Thomas,  48. 
Hull,  Gen.  William,  86. 

HuNNEWELL,  Job,    1  6. 

Hunt,  Dea.  Joseph,  112. 
Hunter,  Ebenezer,  78. 

10* 


146 

Huntington,  Hon.  Abel,  M.D.,  35,  83;  Anne  (Wright),  71;  Hon. 
Asahel,  56,  64,  71,  136  ;  Rev.  Asahel,  56,  65,  71  ;  Dr.  Asher,  83  ; 
Azariah,  56;  Dea.  Azariah,  112;  Dea.  Barnabas,  71,  83,  112; 
Christopher,  the  Proprietor,  48,  56;  Christopher,  the  first  white 
male  child  born  in  Norwich,  56;  Christopher,  the  early  Settler, 
22,  25,  56;  Dr.  Christopher,  81  ;  Rev.  David,  65,  71  ;  Rev. 
Elijah  B.,  12;  Dr.  Elisha,  65,  71;  Elizabeth,  56;  Elizabeth 
(Huntington),  71  ;  Ezra,  71  ;  Dr.  Gurdon,  83;  Hezekiah,  6; 
Simon,  the  Immigrant,  56  ;   William,  56. 

HUNTINGTONS,    32. 

Hutchens,  John,  64. 

Hyde,  Abner,  80 ;  Rev.  Alvan,  D.D.,  56,  65,  68,  72,  74;  Rev. 
Charles,  72;  Eli,  72;  Rev.  Eli,  64,  72,  88;  Elizabeth,  the  first 
white  child  born  in  Norwich,  56;  Hon.  Ephraim  H.,  7,  35,  56, 
84;  Horatio,  55  ;  Capt.  Jabez,  22,  56,  57;  Capt.  Jacob,  21,  59, 
60,  jg,  89  ;  Jacob,  Jr.,  38  ;  Capt.  James,  39  ;  Jared,  56  ;  John, 
56,  72;  Judge  John,  57;  Rev.  John,  56,  64,  73;  Joseph,  38, 
72,  73;  Joseph  I.,  5,  51,  59;  Rev.  Lavius,  56,  65,  73;  Lewis, 
Esq.,  57;  Capt.  Matthew,  56;  Mary,  daughter  of  1st  Thomas, 
59;  Mary,  daughter  of  Capt.  Jacob,  59,  74;  Dr.  Nathaniel,  80 ; 
Phineas,  Sen.,  82  ;  Dr.  Phineas,  82  ;  Rebecca  (Barker),  73  ;  Rhoda 
(Lathrop),  72  ;  Samuel,  the  Proprietor  and  first  Settler,  16,  48,  52, 
56;  Samuel  Jr.,  25;  1st  Thomas,  21,  25,  56,  59,  73,  84;  2d 
Thomas,  56;  3d,  or  Capt.  Thomas,  56;  Tommy,  51  ;  Vaniah, 
73  ;   William,  the  Proprietor,  48,  56,  72,  73,  84;   William  B.,  6. 

Hydes,  32. 


Ives,  Rev.  Jesse,  90. 


J 

Jarvis,  Penelope,  81. 

Jennison,  Rev.  Isaac,  71. 

Johnson,  Rev.   Abner,  90;   Ebenezer,   22,   25;  Dea.   Isaac,  57,   112; 

John,  16,  25,  57;   O.  Lewis,  6,  52,  56;   William,  57. 
Johnsons,  32. 

Jones,  Rev.  Elisha  C,  115  ;   Rev.  Franklin  C,  5,  6,  95,  107. 
Judson,  Rev.  Adoniram,  75  :    Rev.  Ephraim,  90. 


147 

K 

Kingsbury,  Andrew,  57  ;  Capt.  Asa,  85  ;  Ephraim,  57,  8o,  112;  Eunice, 
51;  Col.  Jacob,  39,  57,  85,  86;  Hon.  John,  57,  64;  Jonathan, 
64;  Dea.  Joseph,  Sen.,  25,  57,  85,  111,  112;  Dea.  Joseph,  Jr., 
25,  33,  57,  111,  112;  Dr.   Obadiah,  80 ;   Sanford,  64. 

Kingsburys,  32. 

Kingsley,  Charles  A.,  5,  6;  Henry  W.,  5,  6,  49;  Jason  W.,  63,  79; 
John,  38;   Samuel,  38;   Col.  Thomas  G.,    51. 

Knowlton,  Col.  Thomas,  39,  83. 


Ladd,  Abner,  38;  Rev.  Beaufort,  65,  74;  David,  21,  25,  38,  57; 
David,  38,  58;  David,  38;  Erastus  P.,  55;  Ezekiel,  38,  57; 
Henry  L.  M.,  55;  Jonathan,  25;  Joseph,  57;  Joseph  D.,  57; 
Nathaniel,  25,  57;   Samuel,  25,  111-   Samuel,  Jr.,  38. 

Ladds,  32. 

Lamb,  Guilbert,  53. 

Langly,  Sims,  25. 

Lathrop,  Barnabas,  38  ;  Elijah,  82  ;  Israel,  Sen.,  58  ;  Sergt.  Israel,  Jr  , 
22,  25,  58;  Jesse,  5.8;  Capt.  John,  22,  58;  Rev.  John,  of  Lon- 
don and  afterwards  of  Scituate  and  Barnstable,  58  ;  Rev.  John, 
D.D.,  of  Boston,  58;  Leander,  38;   Samuel,  58;   William,  58. 

Lathrops,   32. 

Ledyard,  John,  36. 

Lee,  Jane,  56;  Rev.  Joseph,  90;  Thomas,  56, 

Leffingwell,  Elizabeth,  63  ;   Lieut.  Thomas,  48. 

Lord,  Alethea,  71  ;  David  N.,  64;  Dr.  Elisha,  71  ;  Rev.  Nathan  L., 
M.D.,  88. 


M 

Manwaring,  Rev.  William  H.,  88. 

Marshall,  O.  H.,  65. 

Mason,  Dorothy  (Hobert),  58;   Edward,  62;  James  F.,  58;  Jeremiah, 

22,    58;  Col.   Jeremiah,    87;    Hon.    Jeremiah,    35,    58,    64,    87; 

Major  John,  14,  15,  46,  48,  58,  87. 
Masons,  32. 
M'Call,  Dea.  Dyer,  41,  112;  Lucy,  41. 


148 

Metcalf,  Rev.  David,  136. 

Moodam,  Mary,  50. 

Moore,  Rt.  Rev.   Bishop,  76 ;  Rt.  Rev.   Richard  Charming,  77 ;  Rev. 

William   H.,    130;   William,    16,  63;    Zephaniah  S.,  D.D.,   68; 
Morgan,  Tabatha,  33. 
Moseley,  Increase,  21,  25,  58,  74;  Increase,  Jr.,  59  ;  Mary,  74;  Rev. 

Peabody,  59,  74. 
Motley,  Hon.  John  L.,  the  Historian,  58. 
Mott,  Lydia  A.,  69. 
Munsell,  Henry,  74;  Rev.  Jabez,  65,   74;  Sarah  (Hyde),  74. 

N 

Newell,  Rev.  Samuel,  75. 

Nott,  Deborah  (Selden),  74;  Rev.  Eliphalet,  D.D.,  41,  65,  74,  75; 
John,  74;  Rev.  John  W.,  65,  75  ;  Roxana  (Peck),  76,  88  ;  Rev. 
Samuel,  D.D.,  19,  40,  41,  66,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  83,  104, 
129,  130,  131,  132,  137;  Rev.  Samuel,  Jr.,  65,  75,  88;  Sarah, 
73;  Stephen,  74;  Rev.  Stephen,  T.,  65,  76;  Susan,  73. 


O 

Occum,  Rev.  Samson,  88. 

Olmstead,  Dr.  John,  48,  77,  78. 

Oneco,  or  Owaneco,  son  of  Uncas,  45,  46, 


Pease,  John,  48. 

Peck,  Capt.  Bela,  59;  Benjamin,  22,  26,  29,  59;  Elizabeth,  59;  Hen 

ry,  59  ;   Simon,   38. 
Pember,  Agnes,  57;  John,  21,  57;  Thomas,  57. 
Pembers,  32. 

Pendleton,  Col.  Gurdon,  59. 
Perkins,  Dr.  Joseph,  79. 
Perry,  Mrs.,  (H.  L.  Lathrop),  88, 
Pessechus,  Sachem  of  the  Narragansetts,  62. 
Pettis,  Peter,  59;  Samuel,  22,  59. 
Pettises,  32. 
Philip,   son  of  Massasoit  and   Sachem  of  Poknoket  (usually  known  as 

"King  Philip,")  16,  17. 
Phillips,  Capt.  John,  the  Pirate,  53. 


149 


Pitcher,  Lieut.  Jonathan,  38. 
Portipaug,  47. 
Post,  John,  48;  Mary,  61. 
Potter,  Rev.  William,  88. 
Pratt,  Experience,  53. 
Prentice,  Rev.  Erastus  L.,  j6. 


R 


Raymond,  Samuel,  38. 

Reed,  Josiah,  48. 

Reynolds,  John,  48  ;  Joseph,  22,  25,  51,  59;   Joseph,  Sen.,  59. 

Rice,  Rev.  Mr.,  an  early  Missionary  of  the  A.  B.  of  C.  for  F.  M.,  75. 

Ripley,  Alice,  53;   Rachel,  63. 

Robinson,  Lavius  A.,  6. 

Rockwell,  Daniel,  25;  Ruth,  56. 

Rogers,  Dr.  Ezekiel,  79  ;  John,  the  proto  martyr,  79  ;  Dr.  Theophilus, 
79,  82;  Dr.  Theophilus,  Jr.,  81. 

Rogerses,  32. 

Rood,  Micah,  22,  60,  61,  79;  Thomas,  60. 

Roods,  32. 

Rous,  Jabez,   38. 

Royce,  Amos  F.,  5,  6  ;  Jonathan,  48;  Jonathan,  Jr.,  25,  64. 

Rudd,  Rev.  John  C,  D.D.,  69,  76,  jj,  88  ;  Jonathan,  61  ;  Jonathan, 
Jr.,  61;  Jonathan,  3d,  76;  Joseph,  38;  Mary,  51;  Mary  (Hun- 
tington), 76;  Sergt.  Nathaniel,  17,  21,  26,  61,  111  ;  Nathaniel, 
Jr.,  21,  61. 

RuDDS,   32. 


Sabin,  Benajah,  38,  89,  91  ;  Dr.  John,  21,  61,  78,  83. 

Saltonstall,  Gov.  Gurdon,  25  ;   Sir  Richard,  85. 

Sanford,  Miss  Velina,  42. 

Shetucket  River,  47. 

Shipman,  Rev.  Thomas  L.,  129. 

Sluman,    Sarah    (Bliss),    64;    Thomas,    Sen.,    61  ;    Thomas,   22,   25, 

27,  61. 
Slumans,  32. 
Smith,   Andrew    B.,    12,    62  j   Backus,    51  ;    Edward,   62;    Mrs.    Eli 

(Sarah  L.  Huntington),  88;  Elizabeth  (Hartshorne),  77 ;  Ezra  L., 


ISO 

5,  6;  Hon.  Gerrit,  of  Peterboro,  6y  ;  John  O.,  6;  Rev.  Joshua, 
62,  64,  yj,  88;  Joshua,  Sen.,  77;  Judah,  33;  Lovell  K.,  6; 
Mehetabel,  49;  Nehemiah,  48,  49,  62  ;  Sergt.  Obadiah,  22,  25, 
26,  62;   Owen  S.,  6  j    Prentice  O.,  5,  6;  Dea.   Henry  N.,    112. 

Spiller,  Mary,  54. 

Sprague,  Messrs.  A.  and  W.,  53;  Rev.  William  B.,  D.D.,  12,  67, 
68,  72. 

Squire,  John,  38. 

Standish,  Capt.  Miles,  83. 

Stanton,  Rev.  Robert  P.,  64,  jj. 

Starkweather,  George  E.,  49,  55. 

Starr,  Miss  Eunice,  88  ;   Hannah,  78. 

Stetson,  Thomas  D.,  132. 

Stoddard,  Samuel,  25. 

Story,  Daniel,  38. 

Strong,  Rev.  Cyprian,  D.D.,  73. 

SuSQUETOMSCOT  RlVER,   47. 

Sweet,  Dr.  Stephen,  50. 


T 

Tenney,  Joseph,  58. 

Tracy,  Hon.  Albert  Haller,  35,  63;  Almond,  62;  Deborah,  59; 
Eliphalet,  87;  Dr.  Elisha,  63,  64,  81  ;  Elizabeth,  50;  Capt. 
John,  the  Proprietor  and  Settler,  16,  22,  48,  62,  63,  78,  87  ;  John, 
2d,  62,  63;  Hon.  John,  6th,  35,  41,  63;  Capt.  Joseph,   21,  52, 

62,  63,  81  ;  Josiah,  3d,  91  ;  Miriam,  63  ;  Dr.  Philemon,  21,  63, 
80,  81  ;  Hon.  Phineas  L.,  35  ;  Dr.  Solomon,  78  ;  Lieut.  Thomas, 
21,  46,  48,  62,  63,  78;  Hon.  Uri,   35,  63,  64;   Hon.  Uriah,  35, 

63,  64,  87;  Rev.  William,  88;  Sergt.   Winslow,  22,   35,  62,  63, 
Tracys,  32. 

Treadway,  Rev.   Joseph,  90. 
Trumble  (Trumbull),  Jonathan,  36. 
Trumbull,  J.  Hammond,  1  2,  46. 
Turner,  Dr.  Phillip,  81. 


u 

Uncas,  Sachem  of  the  Mohegan  Indians,  14,  15,  45,46*  62;  Samuel,  82. 


i5i 
w 

Walworth,  Hon.  R.  H.,  LL.D.,  12. 

Ward,  Benjamin,  82. 

Waterman,  Miss  Betty,  34  ;  Cibel,  33  ;  Ebenezer,  Jr.,  33  ;  John,  25  ; 
John,  63  ;  John,  Jr.,  52  ;  Dr.  Luther,  39,  83  ;  Robert,  of  Marsh- 
field,  63;  Ensign  Thomas,  49,  55,  63;  Thomas,  63. 

Waters,  Mary,  57. 

Waugh,  Rev.  Bishop,  71. 

Wawequa,  brother  of  Uncas,  15. 

Wayland,  Rev.  Francis,  D.D.,  75. 

Wheelock,  Rev.  Eleazar,  D.D.,  66. 

Whitfield,  Rev.  George,  65. 

Wicom,  Daniel,  25. 

Wilcox,  Carlos,  74. 

Willes,  Rev.  Henry,  50,  96,  98,  101,  111  ;  Herman  H.,  5,  59;  Dea. 
Joshua,   112;  Dea.  Joseph  H.,  112. 

Williams,  Roger,  47. 

Winslow,  Gov.  Edward,  62;  Mary,  625  Rev.  Miron,  88;  Mrs.  Rev. 
Miron  (H.  L.  Lathrop),  88. 

Winthrop,  John,  first  Governor  of  Massachusetts,  54. 

Wolcott,  Sen.,  Gov.  Oliver,  67. 

Wood,  Josiah,  38  ;  Thomas,  25,  64. 

Woods,  Rev.  Leonard,   D.D.,  60. 

Woodward,  Dr.  Ashbel,  5,  8,  11,  81,  112;  James  C,  5;  P.  Henry, 
64  ;   Richard  William,   64. 

Worden,  Samuel,  78  ;  Dr.  Thomas,  78. 

Worth,  Anne,  49. 


Yantic  River,  47. 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PAT.  JAN.  21.  1908 


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